Trenching and Water Lines
Trenching from the well to the house, with the water line and the pump's power conduit in one trench. New lines for new wells, and repairs when an old line breaks or leaks.
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Big River Drilling drills agricultural and irrigation wells for farms, orchards, dairies and ranches around Riverdale. House wells are most of our work, and we drill ag wells too. Our ag work covers irrigation and stock wells, plus pump service on the wells a farm already runs. We drill by mud rotary as a licensed C-57 well drilling contractor.
An ag well answers to more than the county. The county permits the well, and the groundwater agency regulates how it is used. In Fresno County, we apply for the permit as the licensed driller. If the farm also needs a domestic well for the farmhouse, one free estimate can cover both wells.
Tell us about the well or the water problem. We come out, look at the site and give you a free estimate.
An irrigation well is a bigger build than a house well, and the state's well completion reports show it. Where the reports list a casing size, irrigation wells drilled around Riverdale since 2015 mostly run 12 to 18 inches. House wells nearby mostly run 5 to 6 inches.
Where a yield is listed, most of those irrigation wells show 300 to 1,000 gallons a minute. House wells nearby mostly show 20 to 100 gallons a minute. No driller can promise what the ground holds, so we start from nearby well records.
A pump test runs the new well at a steady rate while we measure how far the water level drops. That drop is the drawdown, and the results set the pump size the well can support.
Around Riverdale, the groundwater agency is the North Fork Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency, or GSA. Its posted permit process has the driller review a nine-item form with you before the GSA signs off. On the form, the GSA recommends perforations at least 40 feet below the lowest water level it expects nearby.
New ag wells must be registered with the GSA inside 30 days after drilling ends. The GSA can require a meter on the well. Its form says pumping limits are coming as it works to reach sustainability by 2040.
Under SGMA, a household pumping two acre-feet (about 650,000 gallons) a year or less counts as de minimis. The GSA's rules exempt a well like that from registration and from any extraction fees. Other GSAs set their own rules; ask us about yours.
Two pump types come up on farm wells. A line shaft turbine's motor sits at the well head, and a long shaft turns the pump bowls below. A submersible has its motor down in the well, below the pump.
A line shaft needs a straight well to protect its shaft and bearings. A submersible has fewer moving parts, but a failed motor means pulling the whole pump. Line shafts also come in larger sizes for big flows.
Our pump crew handles ag pump service on farm and ranch wells, along with well pump repair on house wells. Tell us the pump type and well depth when you call.
Free estimates and site visits across Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties and out to Kern, Madera and Merced, about 60 to 70 miles around Riverdale.
(559) 867-3806From the first call to water at the tap, here is how it goes.
Call or text (559) 867-3806, or send the form. Tell us about the property and what you need, and we set up a free estimate.
We look for a well spot with room for the rig. State standards keep it at least 100 feet from the septic tank and leach field. We also pull the records of nearby wells.
As the licensed driller, we apply for the county well permit. Drilling starts only after the county issues it.
Our mud rotary rig drills the hole. We set the casing and gravel pack, then place the sanitary seal that keeps surface water out.
We develop the well to clear out drilling mud and fine sand. Then a pump test measures the flow and tells us where to set the pump.
We set the pump and the pressure tank and run the lines to the house. State standards call for disinfecting the well before the water goes on.
Common questions about ag and irrigation wells across Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties and out to Kern, Madera and Merced, about 60 to 70 miles around Riverdale. If yours is not here, call and ask.
Trenching from the well to the house, with the water line and the pump's power conduit in one trench. New lines for new wells, and repairs when an old line breaks or leaks.
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We size and set submersible well pumps for new wells and replace worn pumps in existing wells. The drop pipe, wire, controls and the electrical to the pump come with the job.
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No water, low pressure or a pump that never shuts off? We trace the fault from the breaker down to the pump and repair what failed.
Learn MoreCalifornia law says only a C-57 licensee may drill a water well. Big River Drilling is a licensed C-57 well drilling contractor.
Our mud rotary rig drills the well, and our pump crew sets the pump, the pressure tank and the lines. You deal with one company from the permit to water at the tap.
No water at night or on a weekend? We take well and pump calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
We work Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties from our Riverdale yard, and out to Kern, Madera and Merced counties.
Real reviews from real well and pump jobs, 9 reviews on Google.
Helped out my parents asap when the others wanted us to wait 2 weeks. He came out same day!!!! and changed the valve in only 10 minutes “thank you sir!! “ (water well drilling)
Open 24 hours. The owner is always available and always answers the phone or calls back. He’s very attentive, and when we have problems with the well, he will come out and check it immediately. He takes full responsibility for his work, which is excellent. we just call and he’ll walk us through the situation and it’s usually something simple. He also was able to get us a well at reduced rate through a program that he works with
Great fokes to do business with
Tell us about the property or what your well is doing, and we will set up a free estimate. For a well or pump problem, call or text (559) 867-3806, day or night.
Tell us about the well or the water problem. We come out, look at the site and give you a free estimate.