Borehole design is extremely important; both for ensuring the sustainability of groundwater and also to make sure the installation creates a cost effective method of obtaining water for the end user. Sadly, borehole design and construction is one of the most overlooked aspects within the industry and not enough time, care or attention is put into this stage of the process and it is actually the most vital point.
Boreholes are drilled to be fully functioning for a very long time – often longer than our own lifetimes. That often means the lowest up front cost is not always the most cost effective route, particularly if construction quality is overlooked in a bid to save money. Cheap drilling or poor construction can lead to an inadequate supply, premature failure of the borehole or contamination of a controlled water. This can create additional expense, that may result in the borehole being more expensive than it should have been in the first place, that could otherwise have been avoided.
In some cases badly designed boreholes have to be abandoned all together, the end user will then have to spend even more money rectifying the situation e.g.: by getting a properly constructed borehole drilled to provide a water supply or decommissioning the redundant supply. We are frequently contacted by people who have had a borehole constructed by others which after discussion is pinned down to the constructional technique used and not enough time or consideration being taken during the design stage.