Developing & Tapping into a Natural Spring

Developing and Tapping into a Natural Spring

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As we get to know more about our 7.5-acre property in the western North Carolina mountains, we seem to fall in love with it all more. The natural mature trees, wild natural goldenrod flowers, and the wildlife of animals are all beautiful treasures that make up our mountain land. These are all things that we really can’t find at our suburban country homestead.

Another thing we found in the mountains that we don’t have in the suburbs was a constant flowing natural spring. After seeing the property and obtaining a boundary survey, we found a natural spring on the property. It was such a momentous treasure, mostly because no one knew it existed, not even the original owners.

Shopping around, we found properties that had natural springs on them. They were considerably more money to purchase. Being homesteaders, we didn’t want to spend a fortune and have a massive debt to pay off when we get ready to move in. So we felt like we needed to compromise and forego any water on the property.

Natural Spring Location

A natural spring is when groundwater flows out of the Earth’s surface. Natural pressures force the groundwater to surface above ground. Natural springs can pop up anywhere. Typically, they run along the mountain or hillsides.

We were excited about the location of our natural spring. It is located up the hill from our homestead site and directly behind where the house will be built. This helps tremendously because we can use gravity for the water flow.

Also, the amount of PVC piping will be minimal. We don’t have to go too far from the spring to the main house. This will save money on piping and save on the amount of pipe breakage and repairs.

Clearing the spring site

The natural spring point wasn’t too hard to find. We pulled out the survey map to find the general location on our property. Then we looked around for moist ground. Ferns and moss were all around the area. We knew we were getting close. And finally, there it was, a small slow running stream down the shallow hillside.

The picture to the left is the overgrown area. We cut down the spindly trees first.

We hired an excavation team for this daunting task. The husband and I wanted true experts to find the head of our natural spring, following it to the origination access point. They dug back, finding the water trail coming out of the mud, then they dug down about fifteen feet. Finding the source became apparently clear when the water-filled up fast.

The springhead ended in a perfect location, higher than the cabin. Meaning, we wouldn’t need a sump pump to deliver water but use the Earth’s free gravity.

Developing the natural spring & reservoir

Next, the guys laid a layer of clean gravel on top of the spring head. A 4 inch coiled perforated corrugated pipe with straightened PVC pipe attached to the end was placed and covered with more clean gravel. They laid a thick poly plastic sheet on top to keep any surface water, mud clumps falling, and animals out of water.

Our guys finished this part late in the night, 10 pm, to be more exact. It helped to flush out the dirt through the gravel and out the pipe.

Following the contour of the mountainside, we placed the 1200 gallon tank and connected the PVC pipe to the end. We piped the overflow of the reservoir at the top of the reservoir, so the water flowed away from the cabin and down the other side of the mountainside. A one-inch PVC pipe was attached to the bottom of the tank and curved downward and toward the house.

I have to add that digging the run you see in the photo to the right took longer than expected. We had found a graveyard of boulders. It was one after the other. They were giant boulders that needed the excavator to move them. I also loved the finished product because they lined the entire pipeline after backfilling with the boulders. It came out so beautiful, and now we know exactly where the line is located at all times.

Finishing up

We also put in a PVC Ball Valve before the fixture. This will be the first cut-off so we can do repair work on the spigot or when we need to attach the main cabin to the water source. We prepare to add more cut-offs to the house; that way, we can cut off water to the cabin but not the fixture.

They placed a 3 Foot Frost Free Hydrant at the end of the pipeline with a T-connector, which will be the connection to pipe the central cabin’s kitchen and bathroom. The bottom of the hydrant needs to be set in the gravel at the bottom because it has a spillover opening at the bottom and the gravel helps to filter the water slowing away.

When all was connected and complete, the guys backfilled and set more boulders at the top around the head of the spring as we did at the bottom with the pipeline. That way, we can find the head again after everything grows back. There is a chance that the head could change, and we may need to dig it up in later years.

I love the look of it all. Not only did we obtain running water for the first time in three years, but the excavation changed the lay of the mountainside. It is so beautiful and opened up the look of everything.

Now you may ask what did this all cost you, and I will tell you. I stroked a $2500 check for both materials and labor. The 1200 gallon tank alone was $900, and it took two days of work, including hours on an excavator. To us, this was a reasonable price because we had little knowledge in tapping into a natural spring and left it up to experts. If you have more know-how, then it could cost you much less.

But we know have free water, and I will no longer need to pay a monthly water bill. We are that much closer to the off-grid lifestyle we have been desperately wanting.