A constant, flowing supply of clear, cold, drinkable water… Sounds
pretty good, huh? The local residents of Girard,PA have been coming
to this spot on South Creek Road for decades armed with empty milk
jugs and other containers to take home some free, tasty water. Try
some while you're here. It’s good!
Here is a definition which explains how the well works…
ARTESIAN WELL:
A deep drilled well through which water is forced upward under
pressure. The water in an artesian well flows from an aquifer,
which is a layer of very porous rock or sediment, usually
sandstone, capable of holding and transmitting large quantities of
water. The geologic conditions necessary for an artesian well are
an inclined aquifer sandwiched between impervious rock layers above
and below that trap water in it. Water enters the exposed edge of
the aquifer at a high elevation and percolates downward through
interconnected pore spaces. The water held in these spaces is under
pressure because of the weight of water in the portion of the
aquifer above it. If a well is drilled from the land surface
through the overlying impervious layer into the aquifer, this
pressure will cause the water to rise in the well. In areas where
the slope of the aquifer is great enough, pressure will drive the
water above ground level in a spectacular, permanent fountain.
Artesian springs can occur in similar fashion where faults or
cracks in the overlying impervious layer allow water to flow
upward. Water from an artesian well or spring is usually cold and
free of organic contaminants, making it desirable for drinking. In
North America, the Dakota sandstone provides aquifers for an
artesian system that underlies parts of the Dakotas, Montana,
Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska, and Saskatchewan and supplies great
quantities of water to the dry Great Plains region. Many East Coast
cities derive their water supplies from aquifers that are exposed
along the edge of the Piedmont and dip downward toward the Atlantic
coast. The largest artesian system in the world underlies nearly
all of E and S Australia. Other important artesian systems serve
London, Paris, and E Algeria.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 2007
The aquifer that supplies this well is probably on one of the
small hills in the area that are between 800-850 feet above sea
level. The elevation difference between the hills and the well
allows rain water to accumulate at the aquifer recharge area, which
most likely is supplied by one of the nearby streams that feed into
Elk Creek, and then percolate through the sedimentary rock (mostly
shale and limestone in this area) into its aquifer. Just south of
the water flow is the well itself. I have spoken with a few elderly
residents of Girard, including people associated with the local
historical society. No one seems to know who dug the well or when.
It has been there as long as any of them can remember. The well is
located on property that was once part of the Drury farm, so the
best guess is that it must have been dug by a Drury family
member... maybe by someone who is buried near the site of my Drury
Family Cemetery Cache located nearby.
In order to log this Earthcache, you need complete the following
tasks:
1. Take a picture of yourself and your GPS with the flowing
water from the well and post the picture with your log.
2. Take the temperature of the water flowing from the well and
e-mail me your answer. Don't forget your thermometer!
3. Estimate the amount of gallons that flow from the well per
minute. The easiest way to do that is to fill a milk jug or other
gallon container and time how long it takes to fill up. Use your
math skills to then covert this to gallons per minute. E-mail me
your answer.