A lot of businesses and homeowners think they have to rely on a mains water company to provide their properties or factories with running water. They don’t. Anyone is entitled to drill a borehole / water well on their land and abstract up to 20, 000 litres (20 cubic metres, 4,000 gallons) per day free of charge with no need for an abstraction licence.

To give those figures some context, an average homeowner uses around 350 litres per day meaning that 20,000 is more than sufficient for a range of applications both commercially and domestically. By having your own private water supply installed you’ll never have to pay mains water bills again, you won’t be clamped down on via hose pipes bans and will have pretty much unlimited access to the precious resource that is water.

So who can benefit from a private borehole water supply?

Domestic Properties

Installing a private water supply at a domestic property gives the homeowner complete freedom over their water usage requirements without having to worry about mains water bills or metred charges.

We have installed a range of domestic private water supplies for all sorts of home uses such as watering large lawn areas, washing a fleet of cars, filling swimming pools and also for livestock on small single dwellings.

With a private water supply not subject to hose pipe bans this allows a homeowner to enjoy a constant supply of water all year round.

Aside from using borehole water for outdoor purposes, one of the biggest benefits is the high water quality that is provided from a borehole water supply.

It’s estimated that around 60-70% of mains water comes from recycled waste water and for that to be deemed potable it contains a range of chemicals such as fluoride and chlorine. On top of that it has to travel long distances through vast networks of pipes. With a private water supply you’re effectively sat on top of the water and by fitting a simple pump and filtration system you can provide your home with high quality drinking water without the added chemicals.

Agricultural Businesses

A private water supply often comes into its own when used in an agricultural environment as the savings are potentially huge.
By tapping into a borehole water supply the price of water is much cheaper than that of mains supply and dependent on water usage the capital expenditure required can be recouped within a matter of months.

Aside from the cost savings a private water supply also has various other benefits for farm use:

  • Ideal for arable farmers as private water supplies aren’t subject to hosepipe bans
  • Often provides a greater pressure than mains water, especially in rural areas, ideal for irrigating crops
  • Widely acknowledged that cattle & livestock prefer well water compared to mains water

An agricultural borehole can be a great and solid long term investment; we’ve personally drilled boreholes and fitted pump houses at Dairy farms across Yorkshire going back 30 years that are still going strong to this day.

If any farmers are reading this, and think they’ll require more than 20,000 litres per day, which is likely in some scenarios, please speak to us as our team liaise with the Environment Agency on a regular basis when it comes to obtaining an abstraction licence and the necessary processes required.

Industrial Businesses / Factories

Boreholes for Industries

Artesian Borehole Head at an Industrial Site

A large number of industries require water on a large scale; be it breweries, bottling plants, slaughter houses or any other type of food or chemical based industry where water uses can be extremely high.

Again, like the agricultural industry, the use of borehole water can create tremendous savings and have a relatively low pay back period.

We’ve found that a vast majority of industrial sites suffer from variable water pressure and also a lack of consistency, this not only means an inadequate water supply but has the knock on effect of decreasing productivity and in some cases reducing the quality of the overall finished product. In most cases, a borehole provides a much more stable pressure and a higher quality water supply.

Even during dry seasons a borehole continues to supply at a constant flow and pressure, ensuring production lines and manufacturing processes can run to optimum all year round.

Another problem prevalent with industries that use large volumes of water is they are susceptible to leakages that often go unrepaired by mains water boards. A borehole doesn’t suffer these problems as the business itself, or the private water supply company who manage their supply is in charge of ensuring the borehole, and the various pump installations run smoothly.

New Builds / Property Developers

With various new builds springing up in rural locations along with suburban housing estates built with sustainability in mind we’re finding that more and more of these developments are looking into borehole water to replace mains water.

With houses that are off the beaten track they are often too far away from mains connections, in many cases the homeowner has to foot the bill of the connection cost and this makes tapping into borehole water more viable than ever.

Property developers are also recognising the benefits of using groundwater in major residential areas whereby one borehole can be used to supply water to several properties thus increasing the marketability of the property. This is an attractive proposition to buyers as a sustainable property allows them to make significant savings on mains water from the outset.

Hotels / Holiday Cottages & Caravan Parks

We are often contacted by the proprietors of hotels and holiday parks concerned with their rising mains water bills. In fact we were recently featured on BBC Radio 5 live at a holiday park who had decided to take advantage of a private water supply due to fear of droughts effecting their business and to save money in the long term.

Many of the larger holiday cottages and caravan parks use a substantial amount of water and in many cases we can design a system that has a return on investment within less than 3 years of it being fitted and in a lot of cases substantially less.

With smaller hotels and holiday parks, access can be a problem so our smaller rig often comes into its own and in some cases we are able to fit overhead or underground storage tanks where space is at a premium.

Sports Clubs / Training Grounds

Sports clubs, in particular those with large outdoor training facilities need water and plenty of it.

Football clubs with large playing fields and golf courses are often hit hard by hose pipe bans. This effects both their irrigation and the facilities at the club such as showering and drinking water.

Most sports clubs can save considerable amounts when they tap into borehole water and will continue to provide cost savings year on year.

Golf courses in particular can see huge benefits, as we are able to ensure that after testing the right chemicals are added to the water to achieve the correct level of pH required by the Green keeper.

Think you could benefit from a borehole? Need some more accurate data on the potential savings? Contact us, in most cases we can work out potential savings based on your Quarterly mains water bill and give an estimated payback period.