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This article appeared in The Groundsman November 2004 Already sinking in a rising tide of utility charges, many water users are now facing a 30 per cent hike in their water costs. For any sports facility, hosepipe bans—and interrupted supplies that even a short spell of dry weather can bring—create problems. It makes sense to opt for the alternative—a private supply from a borehole drilled deep into the rock strata under their land. Boreholes can cut water costs by over 90 per cent: A cubic metre of water from a public supply can cost over £1 in some areas, so a million gallons costs about £4,500. Yet the cost of borehole water is just 2p to 3p a cubic metre—that’s 220 gallons. In a recent golf course project, leading water well drillers WB and AD Morgan have drilled two boreholes, one of which fills a small lake and two reservoirs. The water is pumped into the lake, then systematically abstracted and distributed throughout the course. Says managing director Brian Morgan: “Our boreholes provides around 5,000 gallons an hour, which meets the course’s demands—25,000 gallons a night and double that in the summer months. Work begins with a hydrogeological report – or prognosis – which costs around £200. This survey gives an indication of the underlying geology, whether water is likely to be found and at what depth. Boreholes used for commercial reasons usually need special permissions that can take between six to nine months to organise. “On-site work can last 10 to 15 days. Drilling typically takes three or four days, and then pipework and cables are installed,” says Brian Morgan. “Invariably, commercial boreholes pay for themselves many times over,” he adds. |
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