We drill and service wells across the Webster County countryside that surrounds Marshfield, MO, the county seat. Marshfield's city water system dates to 1925 and now draws on three wells drilled at least 1,300 feet deep, so homes in town are on city water. Out in the countryside, private wells take over, and household wells near Marshfield are much shallower than the city's.
Often, because they are shallower. Based on DNR well records through 2016, the median household well within 5 miles of Marshfield is about 305 feet deep, and the middle half fall between about 240 and 365 feet. That sits well inside the 200 to 500 foot band behind WellDrillingCosts.com's published estimate of $10,000 to $34,000, though rock, casing and the pump package still move the number. Casing goes into solid rock and the open hole below it is drilled to water.
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The city system has four elevated tanks holding 1,000,000 gallons and 63 miles of mains, and EPA lists it as serving about 7,400 people. Beyond those mains, EPA records small shared systems such as Oak Ridge Estates, and other rural homes run their own wells.
Marshfield sits at 1,493 feet, the highest of the towns we serve, and Webster County lies on the divide between the Missouri and White river basins. The James and Niangua rivers both start in Webster County, the Pomme de Terre rises near Marshfield, and the Osage Fork of the Gasconade flows within 5 miles of town. In the same DNR records, wells within 5 miles of Marshfield show a median static water level near 120 feet and a median casing of about 105 feet.
In those state well records, 46 percent of the household wells within 5 miles of Marshfield finished short of 300 feet. Only about 1 in 7 went past 400 feet, and fewer than 1 in 50 passed 500.
Casing stays short as well. All of the land within 5 miles of town lies in DNR Drilling Area 1, where the floor is 80 feet of casing and the casing must sit 30 feet or more into solid bedrock. Broken rock above the bedrock adds to that, and the rule's own example turns 60 feet of broken rock into 90 feet of casing. In the records, about 2 in 3 nearby wells carried 105 feet of casing or less, and only about 1 in 12 had more than 150.
Newer wells have gone deeper. In the first decade of the records, mid 1987 through 1996, the median well stopped at about 280 feet and about 6 in 10 stayed under 300. From 2007 through 2016 the median rose to about 345 feet and fewer than 1 in 5 stayed under 300, while the median casing fell to 84 feet. Low output was uncommon, with about 1 in 100 wells reporting under 10 gallons per minute.
In Missouri, private well kits for the state's public health laboratory come through the local public health agency, which for Webster County is the Webster County Health Unit in Marshfield. The state lab runs both bacteria and chemical tests on private well water, and its routine bacteria analysis checks for total coliform and E. coli.
The Niangua River begins about 7 miles north of town, and the Missouri Department of Conservation's assessment of its watershed describes ground made largely of dolomite, with caves, sinkholes, losing streams and springs common. It also notes that septic leachate in porous soil can move quickly into the aquifers that feed springs and wells. If a new well and a new septic field are going on the same acreage, call us and we'll talk through where the well should go.
I-44 serves Marshfield at exit 100 (Route W and MO 38), with exit 96 (Route B, Northview) to the west and exit 103 (Route CC) to the east. MO 38 passes through town toward Hartville, and Historic Route 66 shared MO 38 from the Spur Drive junction to Jackson Street.
Lettered routes reach the nearby communities: Route W to Beach, Route DD to Bracken, Route J to Caddo, Routes CC and H at Sampson, and Route OO at Red Top. Conklin and Elkland lie northwest on MO 38, and the Hosmer Dairy Farm Historic District is on the National Register.
Call (417) 929-5558 - Mon-Sat 7AM-7PM. Free quotes available.