Recently, I was contacted by an old college friend who had questions about purchasing his first water well for a home he is building. John and I attended Western Michigan University together. While I was taking science classes memorizing different rocks, John was studying business. John asked many questions regarding the construction of a new water well, ultimately leading to his question of why a new water well costs $4,000.
I immediately laughed at his final question regarding the price. I explained to John that when I drilled water wells for my father’s company 15 years ago the price was close to $4,000. We discussed the determining factors on cost, including depth to water, geology, drilling method and well construction. I learned that the area where the well was to be constructed is sand and gravel drift geology with a 30-foot depth to water and 200-foot total depth. To be on the safe side, I asked John to get a couple more quotes for his well and call me back.