The soil over the pipe from our well to our house has been subsiding for the last five years. I'm looking for advice about what might be causing it and what I can do to fix it.
- There are about 100 feet between the well and the house
- The 50 feet closest to the well (away from the house) have sinking soil.
- It seems to be worst closer to the well (starting about 5 feet from the well)
- The worst subsidence is about 12 inches deep.
- Nearest to the house, I don't see any problem.
- I'm located just outside Boston (warm summers, cold winters)
- The soil is dirt with granite rocks in it. Not too much sand or clay.
- The well is located slightly uphill from the house. No more than a 10 foot rise over 100 feet.
When I moved in, I chalked it up to being poorly filled. I filled it in with dirt and wood chips. That subsided more over the next couple years. I chalked that up to the rotting organic material.
This fall, a 10 foot section about half way to the house subsided 6 inches. I'm now thinking there is a bigger problem.
Could it be caused by a leak in the pipe that is washing soil away? Our water pressure and quality seem fine.
What would be the next step to diagnose the problem and then fix it?
Best Answer
A well can allow oxygen into the soil where it will thin out any organic materials present, possibly causing subsidence. Without redigging the well using expensive methods it is hard to prevent this. Also, if the water is in a reservoir of some kind, reduction of that reservoir can cause subsidence. There is not much you can do about either of these problems except trying to locate the well elsewhere maybe.