Our homestead in Florida had a well, and we loved it. The water tasted great, and it gave us a level of independence and self reliance that fit the way we live. When we moved to Tennessee, even though the house is on city water, we wanted to bring that same independence here.
So we called the best well drilling company in the area. They set up, drilled for two full days, and went down to seven hundred feet. By the time they wrapped up, we were already into the project for more money than we ever conceived of spending. Then came the bad news.
The well produces only one-half gallon per minute. It is nowhere near enough water to support a household, and certainly not enough for a working homestead. The water is there, but not in a usable volume. After all that work and cost, it feels like the well just does not want to cooperate.
So what now?
We are going to pivot. The plan is to install cistern tanks to catch rainwater from the gutters and pair that with a pump that also draws from the small amount of water coming from the well. It will be a more complex and more expensive system, but it should give us the level of water independence we are looking for.
If all goes well, we hope to move into part two of this project next spring. There are challenges ahead, but this is the path we have. And like everything on the homestead, we will learn, adapt, and keep moving forward.
