Why are Aquifer Analytics well tests more reliable?
Aquifer Analytics provides an estimate of the long-term sustainability of a well. Most well-testing services report a short-term flow rate which can, in some cases, substantially overestimate the well’s capacity.
Aquifer Analytics also provides a description of what the gallon-per-minute capacity means and how you would use it to decide if the well will meet your needs.
Most well tests only provide a snapshot of the well’s capacity over a short period of time – typically four hours.
In contrast, Aquifer Analytics reports an estimate of the long-term sustainability of the well.
Why are the simplified methods used by most well testing companies prone to errors?
When you first turn the well pump on, water in the aquifer close to the wellbore flows quickly into the wellbore and into the pump. (Figure 1)
As pumping continues, water in the aquifer near the well is depleted and must travel longer distances to get into the well. (Figure 2)
This reduces the rate at which water from the aquifer can enter the wellbore, thereby lowering the flow rate from the aquifer. So, a well that can produce 3 gallons per minute after 4 hours may only be able to produce 1 gallon per minute over a longer time period.