How does a well work? Is there a finite amount of water in a drinking well? Why is it okay to drink? Do they somehow replenish water or if they dry up that is it?
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Most wells get their water from aquifers. An aquifer is a layer of rock and soil with water flowing through it. Groundwater drips slowly through the small spaces within rocks, between rocks, and between loose materials such as sand and gravel. New water, such as from rain or melting snow, drips into the ground. The layer of ground just below the surface is a mix of rock, soil, water, and air bubbles. When gravity pulls the water in the ground deep enough, it fills all of the possible pores and cracks, forcing the air bubbles up. At this depth, the ground becomes saturated with water. The boundary between the unsaturated ground and the saturated ground is called the water table. The exact location of the water table depends on how much new water there is, how quickly the water is flowing away, and how permeable the ground is. If you dig a hole into the ground that ends below the water table, the water in the saturated ground is pulled by gravity into the empty space at the bottom of the hole. The hole fills up with water that drips out of the holes in the rocks. A well is simply a hole dug deep enough that it is below the water table, and therefore fills up with water. Old wells used buckets to remove the water from the well, and modern wells use pumps powered by electricity to drive water up. Because the water goes through layers of sand and rock, it is usually clean. But it depends on what kinds of things are in the sand and rock. That’s why well water has to be tested regularly.
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