What level in thee?

 

Artesian Well

 

How deep the well? How sweet the water?

     When one makes a conscious choice to live beyond the civilized facilities of “human”-kind and “running”-water does not entail “running” down to the creek to fetch that necessity, another, more subtle and dastardly, requirement comes into play: Drilling a well! Such activity is a nerve racking roll-of-the-dice gamble; always expensive, no matter what the driller suggests as the cost.

     If you are blessed, or, just plain---smart, that coming hole in the ground will find sandstone about ninety feet in depth; more than adequate sweet water usually flows freely by the one twenty-five foot mark; in limestone formations, which contrary rock I chose for all seven of my debacles, expect drips and drops around the one forty level, maybe, with luck, about a quart of liquid-gold per minute. That’s fifteen gallons an hour, three hundred sixty a day. Adequate? Yes! But, you quickly learn to conserve the precious commodity; showers---Yes! lawn watering---No!

     The huge depth of a limestone-formation well is to create a reservoir, a storage container. Of course, the well driller charges a dollar amount per foot plus casing which is a six inch diameter steel tube sunk into the hole until it reaches the bed rock below the top soil, usually about forty feet; the boring of the rock below that level becomes the well sides creating the reservoir. One foot of six inch diameter volume holds one and a half gallons of water. But, now, don’t get too far ahead of me, a five hundred foot hole does not necessarily accommodate seven hundred and fifty gallons of liquid in the well. No! No! That calculation would prove way too simple.

     We must take into account for our ciphering project---What? Exactly…static level!

     That is the level the water in the well reaches within the well from subterranean pressure- forces pushing the water upward; static level is the depth from the ground surface to the water level in the well. So, if the static level is one hundred fifty feet in a five hundred foot deep well, there is only three hundred fifty feet of water available for usage, or, five hundred twenty-five gallons! Of course, water flows back into the well at the quart per minute rate replenishing the usage. The key, then, becomes---conservation practiced. Filling a swimming pool or any such extravagant use of water requires hauling the liquid to the site, also an expensive proposition.

     So? What is an “Artesian well”?  That is a drilled well where the underground pressures are so great as to push the static level of the water above the ground level. When this occurs naturally, the phenomenon is called a “spring” and water literally runs out of the ground.

     Generally, the deeper the well, the sweeter the water; due to filtration through limestone. But, below seven hundred fifty feet is sulfur water; it is not drinkable having limited commercial use.

     Spiritual development within the sacred reverence of religion is akin to well-water utility.

     Sometimes, the hole requires great depth to reach Salvation’s Grace; occasionally, Goodness-forces bring the static level Saintly-high with-in the well; once in a while, an Angelic artesian well comes in. We generally refer to theses souls as the Saints among us. Even, Angels! Too.

     Fortunately, the cost for such efficiency is simply a kind heart, pure soul and loving spirit.

     Just: Spread the joyous Good news!

Amen? Amen!