Need help understanding water on the homestead

[farmerbrian]

This is has been a nagging question in my mind as I look for acreage to build our homestead on.

I do not have a firm grasp of what exactly I should be looking for with respect to water on a property. Surface water, groundwater (totally clueless here, that may be another thread), rainwater, soil drainage...I know water is very important, perhaps the most important factor for a successful homestead. I've seen the phrase "an eye towards water" used here several times here during a property search. What should my eye be looking for?

I want a property with potential for the whole enchilada... pasture, varied livestock, cropland, gardens, orchards, hay fields, woodlot. What should I be looking for water wise to support all this?

My search is limited to CT right now. We average a steady 4+ inches of rain per month, 12 months a year.

Thanks,

Brian

[uncle Will in In.]

Potable underground water is the one most people worry about. Everyone out of a public water distric needs a well to get their water. Knowing the area has underground water everywhere is a big plus. As for the rain water It sounds like they get all you need. One problem with that is wet swampy areas that don't drain naturaly or have underground drain tile in place to get the excess water in low spots carried away. If you can walk through any low spot a couple days after a real heavy rain, it isn't a swampy problem area.

[Darren]

I would be concerned about the quality of well water if the property has or will require a well. That can be determined by checking with people who live close by the parcel. Underground water can be the best water you ever drank or with ferric, ferrous, sulfur or bacterial contamination it can be a real problem and require a water treatment system that's an ongoing expense. If there's livestock nearby, the opportunity for future bacterial contamination always exists particularly with shallow wells.

The recent flooding in the Northeast is another issue. There are places that flooded that never flooded before. In low lying areas that should always be a concern. Areas in higher elevations can also be flooded with a heavy enough down pour if enough water runs off fast enough. In those cases flood maps will be of no use. Yet you should still check flood maps for known flood hazard areas.

Drainage is an issue all to itself. The presence of erosion is an obvious tell-tale. Clay soils don't drain. Heavy rains can cause sheet flow of water that can put water in areas other than low lying places that you wouldn't expect. Sometimes you have to be there at certain times of the year when it's raining to see it. Otherwise you'll never know. Low lying areas may have plants you won't find in dry areas that will be tell-tales.

[NCLee]

IMHO, the ideal homestead site will have a creek or year-round spring on the property. Additionally, a well can be drilled to a reasonable depth to supply clean/safe drinking water. Drilling a well can be a very expensive proposition. The last thing you want is to end up with having to pay for one or more dry holes and end up with a very deep well with a bare minimum of output.

Surface water is just that. Water you can see when you walk around the property. It can be creeks, springs, and marshy areas with standing water.

Ground water generally means water that's within about 30' or less below the surface of the soil. Generally, it the water above a layer of rock beneath the soil. A well can be dug by hand or with a boring machine. (We have a bored well that yields high quality water.)

Ground water is more easily contaminated by factors on top of the ground. Pesticides and run off from all sorts of farming and industrial activities. What's going on in the surrounding area is the key factor to look for when considering purchasing land and the quality of the ground water.

My suggestion is to find a piece of property that you're interested in buying. Then, check with the owners of the neighboring property. How deep did they have to go to get a productive well? Are there any issues with flooding and drainage? And, look at the drought side, too. Do people in the area have problems with wells going dry during prolonged drought? Is the spring or creek, on your property of choice, year round? Neighbors will usually know what happens on adjorning property.

Another aspect that needs to be taken into consideration, these days, are the local requirements for waste disposal. When septic tank/drain field permits are issued, a perk test is usually required. (How fast water will drain from the location of the septic system.) If the location fails the perk test, then a septic system cannot be installed.

For any unimproved land, I'd have a stipulation in the purchase agreement that the property must pass a perk test. If the land fails the perk test, local regulations may not allow you to live on the land.

Hope some of this helps. Good luck with your search for your homestead.

Lee

[ronbre]

well seeing as how nothing can live for more than a couple days without water i would say it is the most important feature your homestead can have..

we have a very high water table here..so we were able to form a pond in a low area..i love it..there are flowing wells all over this area..artesian wells..so if you pound a pipe in the ground very far, you are likely to have water come from it.

i would far prefer a good stream though, as moving water is some of the best water you can come by, but you usually pay a premium price for it

[fishhead]

Once you find an area of interest I would check with your Dept of Health or whatever agency regulates homeowner wells to see what they can tell you about quality and depth to water.

Vegetation can tell you a lot about what is "low" or holds water. Willows, sedge grass, etc. don't grow too far from standing water.

[fantasymaker]

Water is a two edged sword. You need enough for what you want to do,but not so much it gets in the way.
Enough rain to raise crops,not so much your too soggy to raise crops.
Surface water for live stock, no so much it carries the house away.
Good clean subsurface water for Drinking and household use but not so much the gound is soggy and and the drive swampy.

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE ?

The ground should look pleasant.
Nasty plants tend to live in nasty places. Open sunny clean rolling nice to the eye ground usually has the best combinations.
If it looks like the minds eye of a pleasant farm its a good sign.
Get out there LOOK at it and WALK IT THOUROUGHLY.
LOOK for signs of flooding in low places If your serious about a place Look at it THE RAIN. If you have time a rain thats melting the snow is better.
No place is pefect but can it be perfect for you? That low swampy corner that detracts from the value might be something you like for veiwing wildlife or raising swamp lillies.

You can make a purchase contingent on somethings, like getting a good well to provide house water.

[farmerbrian]

Great information guys, thank you.

I should have mentioned that most of the properties im looking at are all forest. What kinds of trees indicate good drainage? Any other positive signs on the surface I can look for other than lack of the negatives mentioned in this thread?

Also, what should I make of rock walls running through the middle of a forest? This means somebody at some point in the past thought this land was good enough to clear right?

CT has more forest land than it did 100 years ago because so many farmers left and oil became much more convenient than wood for heat....so there are rockwalls everywhere here. Its hard to walk more than 15 minutes in a forest and not cross a rock wall.

[Darren]

It's easier to describe what trees like wet feet (roots). You'll find willows, sycamore, cottonwood, box elder, green ash, silver maple, swamp white oak and box elder thriving in areas they can find moisture. They'll grow in some upland areas but water won't be far below ground. Walnuts like creek banks too.

Upland trees will include oaks, hickory, sugar maple and conifers.

In all likelihood the stone walls separated fields at one time. Likewise piles of stones especially near somewhat flat ridge tops can indicate fields that were originally used for growing corn. Often ridge tops were used for crops while side hills were used for grazing cattle.