Goldfields, water tables and bore pumps

[AtomRat]

Hi all, I have been interested in digging very basic pvc boreholes to attempt to hit a water table in some dry areas to pump up some water!

Theres no safety or rubbish concerns at all with the pvc boreholes and they can also be easily removed.

I have noticed a few steel and pvc pipes around the goldfields, sometimes they are capped, and sometimes open. Some are on angles in the soil, but I do not think they all are water holes, something else to do with the miners, but a few may be and already hitting the table ready for re-use or a recharge.

Id be interested to just give it a go, drilling the bore about 15-20meter deep at first to see if I can hit a table. Even if the table is dry, they can be replenished over time with little work.

Anyone else had these ideas? Is it possibly breaking any laws? The hole is no bigger than 5" diameter while it is being constructed and then the only pipe left after construction is 2" which can be buried, capped..etc for safety.

Youtube videos on: diy water bore holes, EMAS pump and Uganda bore hole to view how these holes are made with absolute minimal tools.

Pvc pipe, one way stop valve and a drill bit made from steel pipe.

As long as the ground is not too hard or contains large rocks or conglomerate, drilling is possible

 

[Tathradj]

The pipes especially PVC you see around the mines are most likely test drill holes.
A company has come along investigating if it is worth mining.
Some of them would have hit water but I doubt they would contain much but you never know. I have a distinct aversion about pumping out an old mine for water.
Full of nasties so to me not worth the risk.
If you were successful with a bore hole, you would have to pump out slowly into a reservoir.
.
Does the area warrant going to the trouble. ??
What gear are you running.?

 

[warrior707]

companies that carry out exploration drilling may only drill a hole using air to clean out the hole and bring the cuttings/samples to the surface as it is cheaper.if the samples prove to contain gold they can use the same hole to use a diamond drill that will provide a core sample which they can use to provide a more accurate sample, ground conditions,if the gold is evenly distributed through the reef and the best way to mine it

 

[dwt]

To have at a guess I would say you would need a permit for a water bore/well, then you would possibly have to pay 'megalitre' rate
Sux I know, even in the ground the goverment 'technically' owns the water, bit like gold I suppose
"We don't know where it is, or how your going to get to it, but by joe your gunna be paying for it"

 

[AtomRat]

Ill find a youtube link today to explain it better. Im not doing hard rock drilling needing diamond core tipped parts n that..

Im using pvc pipe, several lengths, going down 15-30meter by hand, not drill. There is a metal tube cut on an angle for a "drill bit" followed by a simple marble one-way valve that sends water rock and dirt back up to the surface.

Water tables or even a pocket can be replenished / recharged so even if it is super dry, the rain will refill it with a little bit of man power.

Once a table has been found, and pvc pipe reaches the surface, the "pump" is activated via hand pump or a very small compressor and capped with an EMAS hand water pump.

No machinery involved. Just water, a human, one way valve / bit and pvc pipe.

p.s: this is mostly to get through sandstone, clay, silt and dirt - not intended for lifting rock or going through rock at all

As for the law, im sure there are some, but theres always a way.

 

[Barra_Mad]

what about the legal concerns??? In Victoria you are not simply aloud to drill a bore with out planning approval. Ground water is carefully controlled and you don't want to be the guy who contaminates a aquifer you cant afford the consequences.

 

[AtomRat]

O.k, i've done a read into the laws and such.

Im only going down 15 meters, no more ive now realised. Id need a petrol or electric pump if I wanted to go deeper, im pumping by hand. This means I am only getting ground water, a long way away from any aquifer for there to be any consequences and chances are it will be dry and it will take me a month for it to be of any use.

Its all temporary only for the time I am there on my trips, it would only take a couple of hours to construct and minutes to dispose.

Theres no point in licencing bore drilling or water usage when the use is only temporary for no more than 4 - 5 days in each location. It would be like saying you need a water licence to put water down a sluice from a creek.

Its far too small scale to even use the term "bore" for what ill be using it for ( if I found water ), mabey I should have written the topic title a bit less in yer face.

From what I can see, you can only licence a bore when you have an address location for the bore to be drilled, surveyed and constructed and then a licence to use the water from that bore for private, domestic or agriculture. All using lots of room, equipment and machinery.

Im using 15m of pvc pipe, a pvc hand pump and only in the location for a couple of days.

If I had a bunnings diamond core drill bit would I need a core drill licence to bore 30cm of rock..? :lol:

 

[Terrraaustralis2014]

It would be like saying you need a water licence to put water down a sluice from a creek.

...don't go putting any ideas in 'their' heads

Sounds fairly industrious, my man.

...I like, so good luck

 

[Hunting the yellow]

ive made some very basic drills out of steel pipes like a hand auger 1m to 3m long but..... they wont work in rock or rocky ground too hard but im doing more tests as for pvc pipe for a drill not going to happen tried it when I was 14 and failed ha ha the pipe worn out too quick

 

[AtomRat]

the tip is metal HTY joined / threaded onto the pvc, can work

cheers for the thumbs up hty and terraaustralis, I will make it work!

heres the link to the vids, think theres four:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIjSb7-z5fU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

if you watch them u will see exactly what im doing