Artesian, Not Artisan EarthCache
cscgeocaching: Apparently the county was serious about not wanting an artesian well here.
Sorry for those who had to DNF an earthcache. That’s one for the record books!
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Artesian wells were named after the former province of Artois in France, where many artesian wells were drilled by Carthusian monks since 1126.
An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer containing groundwater that will flow upward through a well, called an artesian well, without the need for pumping. Water may even reach the ground surface if the natural pressure is high enough, in which case the well is called a flowing artesian well.
An aquifer is a layer of soft rock, like limestone or sandstone, that absorbs water from an inlet path. Porous stone is confined between impermeable rocks or clay. This keeps the pressure high, so when the water finds an outlet, it overcomes gravity and goes up instead of down. The recharging of aquifers happens when the water table at its recharge zone is at a higher elevation than the head of the well.
Fossil water aquifers can also be artesian if they are under sufficient pressure from the surrounding rocks. This is similar to how many newly tapped oil wells are pressurized.
For many years, one domestic beer was brewed with water obtained from artesian wells. The company's promotions made much of the use of artesian water in the brewing process. However, the advertisements never explained what artesian water was, preferring to claim that the water was controlled by a mythical population of "Artesians". Once the brewery was taken over by a larger company, the use of artesian water was discontinued, and so was that advertising campaign.
In one U.S. city, current efforts to preserve the use of artesian water at the one remaining public well has been the mission of local activists.
Most governments in the U.S.A. will have an artesian well on the public right-of-way labeled as "unsafe". As the water is untreated and does not meet health department standards. As such, they are posted as "unfit for human consumption". The amount of contaminants is determined by the area and use of the land from which the the aquifer is filled. Agricultural fertilizers, waste products from farming and manufacture, as well as contaminants drifting in from other areas will enter the aquifer over time.
To claim this cache, you must answer four questions and take a picture of you or your GPS unit with the well in the picture.
The required questions are:
1a) How many gallons of water flow from this well per hour?
Use whatever method you feel suits your situation best, but the math with be up to you. If you have a gallon container and an hour to spare, that's the most accurate.
1b) No water flowing? Why do you think this is?
2) From observing the surrounding area, what contaminants do you feel may have leeched into the groundwater, and therefore into the artesian well here?
3a) What color is the water coming from the well?
3b) No water? When it begins to flow again, what color do you believe it will be, and why?
4) Is there any discernible odor?
Extra Credit:
When you get home, try to construct an artesian well.
Photograph your facsimilie, especially if it worked.
Submit your answers via email link from my profile page. Post your picture to your log when you log your find.
I reserve the right to delete any find logs that do not fulfill the requirements listed above.
Congrats to FolboterJAF and TReynolds2 for FTF on 06/30/10
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Qba'g sbetrg gur nafjref be gur cubgb.
Treasures
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