#artesian wells

Permaculture Instructor Andrew Millison explains the different types of aquifers and the overall strategy for recharging depleted water tables.

Loess Plateau Project in China video:

https://youtu.be/bLdNhZ6kAzo

Andrew Millison’s links:

https://www.andrewmillison.com/

No Words Were Wasted

October 16 marks the anniversary of the birth of Noah Webster, author of the iconic American dictionary.  To celebrate the dictionary, and all the words in it, we wanted to share with you a perhaps lesser-known term, “artesian well” that we often run into while working with records from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Artesian wells, also known as flowing wells, are groundwater wells that naturally flow to the surface without mechanical aids such as pumps or pulleys.  Mr. Webster’s book defines an artesian well as “a well in which water is under pressure, especially one in which the water flows to the surface naturally.” 

On August 18, 1894, Congress appropriated funds specifically "For gauging the streams and determining the water supply of the United States, including the investigation of underground currents and artesian wells in arid and semiarid regions." To conduct the work, a Hydrographic Division was created in the U.S. Geological Survey. With cooperation from the States, the newly created Division began hydrographic surveys in 1895.  The single page surveys distributed to residents asked questions about existing water use, depth of wells, machinery, and whether they are artesian.  The National Archives at Riverside holds these returned survey sheets for California.  

While the survey asked specific questions and most answers are short and to the point, the survey does allow a freeform final question on the reverse side to provide “any other facts which you deem of importance.” This blank page allowed many respondents to provide lengthy answers, newspaper clippings, and even business advertisements.  

Souvenir Artesian Well Pullman Washington Center of the Famous Palouse Country / (Main Street Pullman) Souvenir Card (1890)

December 11, 1843: Birth of Robert Koch; 1913: Reservoir Dam Breaks…and other amazing stories

December 11, 1843:  Birth of Robert Koch. Robert Heinrich HermannKoch was born December 11, 1843, in the small city of Clausthal in what was then called Lower Saxony. The city is 120 miles south and a little east of Hamburg and about the same distance west and a little south of Berlin. American microbiologist Thomas D. Brock’s excellent 1999 biography of Koch chronicled his life, triumphs, and…

December 11, 1843: Birth of Robert Koch; December 11, 1913: Abolish Common Towel and Cup…and other amazing stories

December 11, 1843: Birth of Robert Koch “Robert Heinrich Hermann Koch (11 December 1843 – 27 May 1910) was a German physician and microbiologist. As the founder of modern bacteriology, he is known for his role in identifying the specific causative agents of tuberculosis, cholera, and anthrax and for giving experimental support for the concept of infectious disease. In addition to his innovative…

December 11, 1913: Interesting Water Articles from Over 100 Years Ago

December 11, 1913: Municipal Journal Articles. Below are some interesting articles from over 100 years ago about water supply and water safety.

Abolish Common Towel and Cup. Harrisburg, Pa.-Common cups and towels have been banished by the State Board of Health. Anyone violating the new regulation is liable to a fine of $100. Glasses that have been used must be washed in boiling water, and towels…

December 11, 1913: Interesting Water Articles from Over 100 Years Ago

December 11, 1913: Municipal Journal Articles. Below are some interesting articles from over 100 years ago about water supply and water safety.

Abolish Common Towel and Cup. Harrisburg, Pa.-Common cups and towels have been banished by the State Board of Health. Anyone violating the new regulation is liable to a fine of $100. Glasses that have been used must be washed in boiling water, and towels…

The Lost Artesian Wells of the Indian River Lagoon, SLR/IRL

Man next to artesian well, IRL. “Mr Doug Witham allowed me to copy this photograph he purchased over eBay. It is of an unidentified man in St. Lucie Gardens. That is the huge subdivision of land Sir. Edward Reed purchased from Hamilton Disston. Since the notation on the back was written at Walton it is probably some place pretty close to the Indian River Lagoon.” Sandra H.Thurlow 8-15)

Plat map…