Free Water!!! (Artesian Well) EarthCache
Hidden : 8/15/2021
Difficulty:
3 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:


Welcome to the Artesian Well on Highway 11!
This Earthcache is placed on private property with permission.



If you are not prepared to complete each task appropriately & thoroughly, please do not log this cache. Each task is required to earn your smiley :). Also, do NOT post answers in your posted log. Logs showing the answers or missing tasks will be deleted. Thanks, in advance, for your cooperation.

About this location:
Located just off the highway between Alva & Lamont, OK (northeast of Cherokee), this "devine" natural artesian water source is located in an extremely low-populated area partially surrounded by government-protected land known as the Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge. The well was drilled in 1954 & is only 27 feet deep. The pristine water it generates was safely stored in natural sandstone, the purest groundwater reservoir, where it was enhanced with minerals over time. No chemicals need to be added because nature already gave it the perfect mixture of natural elements directly from nature's tap. Many people believe artesian water has magical healing powers & will travel far distances to drink it.

FREE WATER!!!
The current landowners purchased this well & the adjacent property, totaling 3 wells & a natural spring, in 2003. Although they do bottle & sell artesian water from one of the other area wells (which also taps into this same natural reservoir), free access to this main well & its fresh, clean water has been continued as a service to locals & area travelers. The well is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, & the water flowing up out of the ground here is fully drinkable. This water has been made available to the public at no charge for nearly 70 years! Visitors, including geocachers stopping here for this Earthcache, are welcome to bring containers to collect water, if they want, or to come hang out in the small discharge pool to cool off or even for baptism.


Artesian water:
Artesian water is a specific type of free-flowing, spring water that comes from a confined aquifer known as an artesian aquifer. Water from an artesian system is usually cold & free of organic contaminants, making it desirable for drinking. The attraction to artesian water comes from the belief that the intense natural pressure acts to filter contaminants & add beneficial minerals, though (supposedly) it's no different chemically or physically from regular groundwater.

Artesian aquifer:
A groundwater condition formed by water-bearing rocks (aquifers) in which the water is confined above & below by impermeable beds. The grain size of soil particles & the structures they form determine the ability of this soil to transport or retain water down to the saturation zone; this would include sediment or porous stone such as sandstone or limestone. At the outcrop, water enters the exposed edge of the aquifer at this high elevation & percolates downward into the aquifer (water-bearing layer) but is prevented from leaving it by impermeable/impervious rock layers (such as shale, clay or other rock) from both above & below.

Pressure from the water’s weight (also known as hydrostatic pressure) forces water to the surface of a well drilled down into the aquifer; the pressure for the steady upflow is maintained by the continuing penetration of water to lower elevations (via gravity) into the aquifer from the intake area. In recharging aquifers such as this, water flows from the well because the water table at its recharge zone is at a higher elevation than the actual head of the well. So, this is a water source containing groundwater that will flow upwards out of the ground or through a well without the need for pumping.

Artesian well:
The term “artesian well” is derived from the province of Artois, France, where Carthusian monks were the first to drill artesian wells in the early 1100s. An artesian well is dug or drilled wherever a gently dipping, highly permeable rock layer capable of holding & transmitting large quantities of water through interconnected pore spaces receives water along its outcrop at a level higher than the level of the surface of the ground at the well site/wellhead. Unlike traditional wells which require a pump, water in flowing or natural artesian wells in areas where the slope of the aquifer is great enough, pressure will drive/move the water to the surface/ground level naturally, creating a spectacular, permanent fountain due to its own pressure without human engineering. To be considered an artesian well, there are some primary requirements:

7 requirements
    1) There must be a stratum sufficiently porous to permit a ready entrance & flow of water
        through it.
    2) There must be an impervious bed below to prevent escape of water downward.
    3) There must be a like impervious bed above to prevent escape upward, for the water, being under
        pressure from the head, would otherwise find relief in that direction.
    4) All these beds must form a basin, or at least be inclined, so that the edge at which the waters
        enter will be higher than the surface at the well.
    5) The edge of the porous stratum must be suitably exposed so as to take in a sufficient quantity of
        water to afford an adequate supply.
    6) To furnish this supply, there must be an adequate rainfall.
    7) There must be no escape for the water at a lower level than the surface of the well.


Calculating Flow Rate:
This Artesian well continually flows throughout the day, week, month, & year. You can actually measure the flow rate of the water coming up from the well without needing a Doctorate.

NOTE: ALL the water must enter your container when determining the flow rate (easier said than done!).
Due to the high flow rate, a container with a smaller diameter opening than the water pipe will not give an accurate flow rate, nor, realistically, will a container that is smaller than a gallon. Fast food places have no containers large enough to help in measuring, so try stopping at the supermarket or dollar store on your way here. BTW, the container LA has in the photo on the cache page was WAY too small to accurately measure anything; however, it was highly entertaining watching her get drenched while trying, LOL!

This measurement can be done by taking a container of known volume (gallon-sized or larger) with a wide opening (2.5-3") & filling it up, timing how long it takes to fill. If a gallon container fills up in 30 seconds, with some simple math, is determined that the output of the well is 2 gallons. The flow rate would then be 2gpm (gallons per minute).

Another example: If it takes 15 seconds to fill the one gallon container. There are 60 seconds in a minute, so it would take a minute to fill 4gpm. That's 15sec +15sec +15sec +15sec =60sec; 1gal was produced per each 15sec equaling 4gal total in that 1min time)


Artesian spring:
In places where the overlying impermeable rocks are broken by joints or faults, water may escape through them to rise to the surface as artesian springs. In some areas, artesian wells & springs are a major source of water, especially in arid plains adjacent to mountain ranges that receive precipitation. When you get to a point below the entryway of the flow at the recharge area, there is enough pressure (artesian pressure) to bring the water up, provided the land surface is below the level of the top of the aquifer’s saturation level.

A notable artesian system:
The Great Artesian Basin, located in Australia, is the largest and deepest artesian system in the world, stretching over 1,700,000 square kilometers underlying nearly all of E & S Australia, with measured water temperatures ranging from 86-212°F.
In order to successfully complete this Earthcache, you will need the following:
  • A minimum one gallon-sized bucket or container with at least a 2.5" wide mouth (you can use larger, just be sure you know the capacity & adjust your math accordingly).
  • A watch or stopwatch app
  • A thermometer
  • The expectation that you might get wet (fair warning!)
  • Your senses (including a thirst for tasting some artesian water, which is optional)
***To receive credit as a "found it" log on this cache:***
In a message to us (J&LA) from the geocaching.com messaging system, please include the name of the cache you are logging & names of any other cachers that were part of your group. Then send the answers to the following questions:

1) a. What is the temperature of the water?
 b. Is this temp warmer, colder, or the same as you expected & why?

2) a. What is this particular artesian well's water flow rate in gallons per minute? (see the description for how to calculate this water production rate, you may round to the nearest 0.5)
 b. Explain how you got that number (basically, show us your work; we promise not to laugh...okay, not really, but we won't tell you we laughed).

3) Use your senses to look at, touch, smell &/or (especially) taste the water. Describe the water's color, feel, smell & flavor as it leaves the pipe. Is it bitter, sweet, grainy, soft, gross, cool, boring, acidic, flavorful, discolored, neutral, bubbly, or any other descriptive adjectives?

4) Photos are fun and further proof that you have actually been to this location. Please upload a photo with your log showing you or your group (no faces required), your gallon jug, your thermometer, or a personal item at the well.

Sources (mostly paraphrased): Brittanica.com, Geocaching.com, Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Waymarking.com, USGS.gov, Geology of Wisconsin Survey of 1873-1879

Additional Hints (No hints available.)



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