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Domestic water use: A well supplies household water

This is a common sight in south Georgia, much of which is underlain by the Floridan Aquifer system, which is a very productive aquifer. This picture shows a well system that provides all the water that a family in this part of the country needs. The water is also of such high quality that no treatment is needed, so the water literally goes from underground right into the childrens' drinking glass.

This well works electrically, with a pump being submerged in the well casing, which is seen as the white pipe on the right side. The large silver container is the storage tank to hold a certain amount of water pumped up from the bottom of the well casing. The small black box is a pressure sensor that detects when the water level in the storage tank gets low and then turns on the pump to draw more water. The small white tube coming out of the bottom of the storage tank goes to the house, with the red knob giving the family the ability to shut off the water going to the house.

Credit: Alan Cressler, USGS