Thirst No More

- Dana Benner

Americans are quite a lucky bunch. Often, we take our unlimited access to safe drinking water for granted.

Let’s turn the tables. Suppose you suddenly lose or have limited access to drinking water. Of course, preppers have stockpiled water for such an emergency, but how long will that supply last? Eventually, you’ll need more in order to survive.

I find it difficult to believe that, despite the number of wells in my area, few people know about hand-digging a well. There are plenty of drilling operations that require equipment, but the method I’ll outline here requires no heavy equipment; just picks, shovels and muscle.

To write this piece, I combined my knowledge of hand-digging sump pits, the history of the first settlers to this area and the work being done by non-government organizations (NGOs) worldwide. Hopefully, the information I present here will make a difference should you find yourself in dire need of water.

Hand-Digging History

People have been hand-digging wells for eons. Well remains have been found in Europe that date back to the Copper, Bronze and Iron Ages. These are difficult to find because many were just simple unreinforced holes. In the early days of American colonization, every farm had a well, many of which were handdug. Fortunately, many of these were designed to withstand the tests of time, and can still be located and researched today.

Location is Everything

Digging a hole doesn’t automatically yield water. You must dig where you believe you’ll discover water. Study the topography before digging.