Lifewater Drilling &
Well Construction Manual

This manual outlines how to successfully site, drill and construct good water wells. In-depth instructions are provided on using the LS-100 mud rotary drill and Bush handpumps. It is designed to help train people with no well construction experience and to be used as a reference when problems arise later in the field. The manual is most useful when used in conjunction with on-the-job training.

Well drilling is an art, not an exacting science. This manual does not cover all issues which will arise and it does not replace common sense or experience. The best way to learn how to construct good wells is to go and do it with experienced workers. Most importantly, learn from your failures, talk to others and then try again again!

The guiding principle is "Do the easy ones first"! There is plenty of water to obtain from shallow depths without taxing the mechanical integrity or engineering design of the LS-100. Hard rock drilling and deep or difficult holes should be left to experienced drillers with more suitable drilling equipment. In general, do not try drilling if there are no existing dug wells within 1 km of the proposed drilling site.

In writing this manual, I have learned much from the many Lifewater volunteers across North America who have selflessly helped people around the world. The collective knowledge and experience that this group has accumulated by drilling hundreds of wells in different circumstances is truly impressive and I thank everyone who shared their successes and failures with me. Finally, I am struck by how God has richly blessed all those who have stepped out in faith and I look forward with excitement to what God will do in the future.