Digging a Well: Water from Your Own Garden

Your own garden well makes you less dependent on the mains water supply and saves significant water costs with intensive garden irrigation. Depending on the depth of the groundwater table, the project is even possible without an excavator.

Which Type of Well?

Driven Well (Well Point)

A pointed filter pipe is driven into the ground with a driving weight. Suitable down to approx. 7–8 m depth, only in sandy/gravelly soils. The simplest and cheapest method (materials: €100–250).

Drilled Well

An earth auger or drilling set bores a hole into which a well pipe is inserted. For depths of 15–30 m, also works in loamy soils. Cost: €300–800 for DIY, or €1,500–4,000 through a specialist company.

Dug Well

Masonry or concrete rings are stacked and sunk into the ground. For very shallow groundwater (<5 m), labor-intensive but high yield. Historically the most common form.

Finding Groundwater

Check before building a well:

• Geological map of your region (State Geological Survey, often free online)
• Ask neighbors – do they have a well? At what depth?
• Dowsing rod – unscientific, but still practiced in some regions
• Test bore with a 1-meter earth auger – if you feel moist sand/gravel, groundwater is within reach

Permit – Essential

Notify the authority first!

• Under the Federal Water Act, taking groundwater for household and garden is generally permit-free (Section 46 WHG) – but the states can set different rules
• The drilling must be notified to the authority one month before work starts (Section 49 WHG)
• In drinking-water protection areas a permit is usually required (example: Bremen)
• So ask the lower water authority beforehand

Building a Driven Well – Step by Step

1. Get materials – well point kit with driving lance, 1-meter pipe sections (DN 32 or DN 50), driving weight, water pump
2. Drill a starting point – pre-drill approx. 1 m deep with a 60 mm earth auger
3. Insert the filter pipe – insert the first pipe section with the well point filter
4. Drive it in – place the driving weight (approx. 5–10 kg) on the pipe and drive it into the ground by lifting and dropping it
5. Extend the pipe – connect additional sections with couplings and keep driving until you reach groundwater
6. Test it – fill the pipe with water: if it drains quickly = groundwater connection established
7. Connect the pump – attach a hand pump or electric garden pump (from 60 W)

Choosing a Pump

Water Quality

• Do not use as drinking water – if you want to, clarify it with the public health office first (example: Bremen)
• Groundwater can be locally contaminated (e.g. by old pollution); ask the authority before watering vegetables
• Never connect well pipes to the drinking water pipes in the house – that is only permitted with a backflow prevention device (Section 13 TrinkwV)
• Check the pH value – overly acidic water (pH < 6) corrodes pipes and harms some plants
• Annual visual inspection for discoloration or unusual odor

Maintenance

• Cover the well in winter or remove the pump (frost protection)
• Every 5 years: check the well pipe for deposits and flush with well cleaner if needed
• Seal any cracks or leaks in the shaft immediately

Sources

• Federal Ministry of Justice (gesetze-im-internet.de): Wasserhaushaltsgesetz § 46, accessed 5 Oct 2026
• Federal Ministry of Justice (gesetze-im-internet.de): Wasserhaushaltsgesetz § 49, accessed 5 Oct 2026
• Federal Ministry of Justice (gesetze-im-internet.de): Trinkwasserverordnung § 13, accessed 5 Oct 2026
• Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, environment department: Gartenbewässerung über Brunnen, accessed 5 Oct 2026

The sources support individual statements in this article. The organisations named have neither reviewed nor endorsed it.