Does deepening a well need a permit in Missouri?

If you pay someone to do it, they need a DNR permit. Missouri exempts wells drilled before 1987 from most well rules, but major reconstruction is still covered by the state rules.

Will deepening a well always add water?

No. Deepening adds water only when there is more water-bearing rock below the current bottom, and no one can know that for certain until drilling. DNR records for nearby wells give a sense of how deep neighbors went.

What does a well camera inspection show?

A camera lowered down the well shows the casing joints, the bottom of the casing, the open hole in the rock, and any buildup, collapse or debris. It turns a guess about why the well declined into a picture of the actual problem.

How can I tell if my well was drilled before 1987?

DNR's records start with wells drilled after July 1987, so if DNR has no record of your well, it may be older. Old paperwork and the home's age can also help date it.

Well Rehabilitation in Springfield, Missouri

A well that still has a sound casing but has lost flow, started pumping sediment or turned cloudy is a candidate for well rehabilitation, which around Springfield, MO can mean cleaning, rehab or deepening. We first work out why the well declined, then weigh rehab against the depth and cost of a new well. Missouri requires anyone paid to drill or set a pump to hold a DNR permit, and state rules cover major reconstruction even on wells drilled before 1987.

Old round stone well with a metal tap in a grassy field

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Can an old well be cleaned or deepened instead of replaced?

Often, if the casing is sound and the well sits in a good spot. Cleaning removes buildup and sediment that block water from entering the well, and deepening drills further into rock to reach more water. We usually start with a camera inspection and a flow test to see what is wrong. We quote both jobs after that inspection, and the pricing guide lists the factors.

Signs a Well Needs Rehabilitation

Wells decline slowly. Flow drops a little each year, the pump runs longer to refill the tank, water turns cloudy or gritty, or iron staining and odor show up where there were none. These point to buildup on the open hole, sediment collecting at the bottom, or a water level that has dropped.

Before anything is done, we look at the well's history. Wells drilled after July 31, 1987 have a record with DNR that shows the original depth, casing and yield. A downhole camera then shows the condition of the casing and the rock below it.

Rehab is not the answer when the casing has failed, the well sits too close to a contamination source, or the water level has dropped beyond reach. In those cases a new well is the better spend.

Benefits of Well Rehabilitation

Keeps a sound well in service: Cleaning or deepening restores water without drilling a new hole.
Uses the existing casing: A good casing and a good well location stay in place.
Better flow: Removing buildup lets water enter the well more freely.
Clearer water: Clearing sediment and growth from the open hole can cut cloudiness and grit.
Less wear on the pump: Less sediment in the water means less wear on the pump's impellers.
A documented condition: A camera inspection leaves a record of the well's condition for future decisions or a home sale.
A clear answer on replacement: If rehab is not worth it, the inspection shows why before money goes into the wrong fix.

Our Well Rehabilitation Process

Records and history. We check the DNR well record if one exists and ask how the well has changed over time.
Pull the pump. The pump comes out so the well can be inspected and worked on.
Camera inspection. A downhole camera shows the casing, the open hole and any buildup or collapse.
Clean or deepen. Depending on what the camera shows, the well is brushed, jetted or treated to remove buildup, or drilled deeper into rock.
Flow test. We measure how much water the well now gives and how far the level drops while pumping.
Disinfect and reset. The well is disinfected, the pump goes back in, and the water is tested before use.

Cost of Well Rehabilitation

We quote rehab from the work the camera shows is needed, so there is no flat figure here. If deepening is on the table, we set that price beside the published estimate for a new well on the pricing page so you can weigh the two.

Inspection first: A camera inspection and flow test come first and are often priced on their own.
Method: Brushing, jetting, chemical treatment and deepening each take different equipment and time.
Depth to work: A deeper well takes longer to clean and to drill further.
Pump work: Pulling and resetting the pump is part of the job, and a worn pump may be replaced at the same time.

Rehabilitate, Deepen or Drill New?

Cleaning suits a well that still has a sound casing and enough water in the rock but has clogged over time. Deepening suits a well that was drilled shallow and has lost water as levels dropped. Drilling new suits a well with a failed casing, a poor location or water problems rehab cannot fix, which is covered under water well drilling.

After any of these, a water test confirms what is coming out of the tap. A worn pump can be handled through pump replacement while the well is open.

The cleaning methods differ in what they remove. Brushing scrubs scale and growth off the casing and the walls of the open hole, and jetting blasts water at the walls to loosen packed sediment, which is then pumped out. Chemical treatment uses acids or other products matched to the buildup, such as iron or mineral scale, and the well is flushed thoroughly afterward. The camera footage before and after shows whether the work did what it was meant to.

Springfield-Specific Rehabilitation Considerations

USGS reports that long-term pumping has drawn the deep Ozark aquifer down into a cone of depression under Springfield. Where water levels have fallen, deepening can bring a well back within reach of water.

Wells finished in the shallow Springfield Plateau aquifer sit in the layer where USGS finds most karst features, and Missouri DNR describes that layer as low yield, about 15 to 30 gallons per minute. A shallow well with falling yield or recurring contamination may do better deepened or replaced than cleaned. Based on DNR well records through 2016, the median household well is about 470 feet deep in Greene County, which gives a sense of how far a deepened well might go.

DNR's well records keep reconstructed wells as their own category, separate from new water wells. That is why the paperwork for a deepened or rebuilt well should be updated to match what is in the ground.

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