Spring Development - Step by Step

[@R.James.]

That's so cool and fascinating to find water naturally occuring out of the ground, I don't know why but I just find it awesome if it's so small. As if nature just placed a random little tap out in the middle of nowhere and voila, here's a steady ministream of clean water.

[@pyro3688]

O Balls yes

[@CuttinChris]

I just found one by my house on a mtn pass, its made it's own mini waterfalls and its badass it bubbles and jumps up foot or so out of the ground

[@EasternBlueSongBird]

I've watched this a bunch of times. 😊 I have a spring I'm having fun playing with. Thanks for helping me learn how it works!

[@exploregon1720]

We'll be using the concept in the next few months. Our situation is a little more difficult but I think it's still doable. Thanks for the idea and video!

[@Cottinghamm]

Thanks for the guidance, very helpful in developing my own spring with a few bits I had lying around (including a lot of gravel). It's hard work, but worth it to see clear water running out of the pipe at the end of it.

[@polishpat95]

Super great way of getting fresh spring water !

[@beggsnachin]

Subscribed to watch your other spring video(s). We have had water issues for three years at this new place. We have a slow, shallow creek and clay soil and a spring seep well. Running the washing machine makes the automatic shut off switch kick on constantly and the six foot deep well is full of water. Had thoughts that maybe water storage is the problem. I dunno. Using the creek creates massive sediment issues too and it shuts off when the sediment filter on the output gets full, which was about once a day. We buy bottled water to drink , but when we first moved in here, at least I could do laundry. We did run the well dry once in a while in summer, though. There are springs all over this place and the spring that feeds our well is a whole line of moisture going down the hill that the old timers here before us made a ditch to divert and irrigate the hay field below. That ditch stays moist all year, but surface water gets a bit scarce in summer. The water table is really close to the surface in that field and swamp grass comes up in a few spots. I'm looking at digging out a small pond. My pigs have already started on that project.

[@SusanRogersMakingItWork4Me]

Wish I had a spring, but no springs around here. Love watching your work!

[@bearcat8691]

Great video! You make these things so easy to understand... And those sheep are really precious.

[@stephenarmiger8343]

Thank you. Worked for the BLM for 15 years. It would have been valuable to have tried this spring design and to be able to compare it to our typical developments. Too frequently our springs just lowered the water table and subsequently dried out.

[@jeepmor]

Enjoy your videos. Thanks for taking the time to share this stuff.

[@rchopp]

Wow until you put the pipe on I would have guessed it wasn't even flowing, Thanks for showing the installation process it was very helpful.

[@engineer775]

You are welcome.

[@wyattoneable]

The information you provide is always top notch or at least entertaining. I appreciate your time making videos so we can learn.

[@engineer775]

Thank you sir.

[@sequoyah59]

I just added 40 acres to the farm and I think it has a spring on it that runs all year. The place is mucky wet and at the base of a hillside that runs to the foot of the Ozark Uplift first slope. We are in the sandstone imbriicated zone so with enough faulting in the right place the chances are reasonable. I think i have identified watercress which is a good sign and it was running a nice stream in August of last year in the midst of one of our worst droughts in years. The place was not mine then so I didn't get a real good look. Tomorrow I will go mow around what I think is the source. What looks like the source is down hill from a good sized rock outcrop and sudden rise in topography. Below that is the low area and the spring is in a depression much like one to our north called Star Spring that has supplied the nearby town for over 100 years. If all this proves to be true I plan to builld a small dam and install a solar pump to move water to a 5,000 gallon tank or the pond behind the house. The stream looks as though it could supply enough water for garden, flowers and yard. We are fortunate to have excellent rural water.

[@grantw.whitwam9948]

Great set up. Springs are great, especially at 3 gal/min.

[@jodyrn03]

You are my go to person. Single parent of adult kids and I bought land and built a house w a spring Fed pond and the springs had never been developed. The owner says there are tons underneath but most come from side. I paid a pond guy a ridiculous amount of money to develop one of them. Yeah water constantly flows from the pipe and from underneath it, smh. He missed the main aquifer. He is off about two feet and a lil high. I guess I am gonna have to wait till it cools down and just try and do it myself. There are three other springs that need to be developed. I watch these videos over and over bc looks like I am gonna have to do it myself and before your videos, I have been clueless. May have to hire someone for the digging but I am determined. Oh I said single parent. Single mom, lol, but I can do it, maybe.

[@mswwalker12345]

EXACTLY what I was looking for. Thanks!

[@oldtimerlee8820]

Good, clear instruction. These folks were fortunate that the pond water didn't backup to cover the spring head. Makes me wonder if this spring was along side the pond, rather than being at the head of the pond.

[@FonyaMartin]

Watching from Africa (Cameroon)

[@dahartman88]

I dont say this alot but, i love water.

[@vernonvest9927]

If you want a bigger water 💦 flow dam up five to six feet below the spring and put in salt inside the dam and then put in crawdads the salt will make them look for fresh water and open up your water vain 💦 keep the salt about four feet away from the spring.

[@kimolson6775]

thank you!! great video. easy to follow! love the little lambs at the end!!

[@southeastohiooutdoor]

Thank you so much been looking for a video like this for a year best one on the internet. I will be installing a similar system this summer

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Thanks for sharing your project!

[@giovannisanseviero5726]

What a nice way to end the video. Good work!

[@blueridgebushcraft8294]

Ain’t it nice to live in an area where there is so much easily accessible clean water.

[@KarlieSolomon]

Thank You for sharing. What ever we thank Jesus for, He will supply, He will supply all our needs according to the riches in Christ Jesus.

[@engineer775]

Amen!

[@dahartman88]

Also engineer your workmanship is top notch.

[@engineer775]

Appreciate it.

[@FonyaMartin]

Good Job. Do u need to add another filtration tank ?

[@TheRustAdmin]

its great how you cover all part of off grid living! could you please make a video about what to do with waste/recycling? i heard you can make waste paper into burnable briquettes for a stove ect.

[@heismyhightower]

Good video Scott! Can you give some of your thoughts on HOW TO find a spring on our property? What SIGNS can we look for ? I have no idea of where to begin looking. Blessings & stay safe in these troubling times

[@engineer775]

The obvious thing to look for is water. Preferably running water. Look for the Largest trees and trees and plants like poplars, Hollies, Ferns etc. Those species that love water. Side hill springs are the easiest to develop.

[@tuckerdave1]

Nice job , you do such nice videos , thank you and keep up the good work .

[@engineer775]

Thank you!

[@pikelakerunner1]

great tutorial.. I did my spring the same but without the spring box. runs straight to my holding tank, then to house, with overflow going to pond from that holding tank. my question is why do u need a spring box?

[@Dagobert1234]

Hello Scott, great approach thanks for the video.

[@jtassoni8765]

Why is the overflow pipe buried? And what keeps the bleach if shocking, going out the end of the overflow instead of into dammed area?

[@bridydone9252]

Thank you!! Awesome video!!! What about adding a holding tank. I was thinking of something like this, but also with a large holding tank w/ pump, just in case it runs slower during winter. What kind of insulated system could you use that would withstand freezing temps (maybe 20 at night at the coldest).. Perhaps something easy to clean once a year if need be. I look for convenience and easy to maintain above all. Thinking ahead, if spring ever dried and have to drill well, perhaps a system that would be easy to transition over to well, to save on waste of materials.

[@frenchopotamus]

I love all your videos, but especially the ones about springs! I've heard that if you aren't careful, you can permanently destroy a spring if you dig it out the wrong way. Is that true? I'd like to see how you properly dig out a spring.

[@chipwright6193]

Nice information, I wish that I had a spring.

[@KellyBtech]

Nice work and video. Thanks for sharing this. Just a few questions ...maybe to anyone who might care to answer. 1) It looks like the outlet for the overflow is capped. Would have been good to get some design theory on the operation thereof. 2) Couldn't you overflow the initial collection to the springbox? 3)A. Might there be times of year that the flow is greater/lesser and is this video during peak flow? B.Could both the well and the springbox be designed for unexpected high flow-rates? 4) Will the black plastic last for a good long time? 5) Couldn't you put a box and/or slab or something over the spring in order to prevent contamination such as dead animals?

[@po3tictreachery672]

Great vid, helped me with my design. Thank you!

[@NathanCline]

Like the step by step engineer. I have one question. Many old springs are using a concrete container (dammed area) right out of the cave / hillside. Mine is this way. would I benefit from the gravel idea there? Right now it just has a makeshift cover to keep the leaves and big animals out :-)

[@trevorcoventry4540]

Thats my situation.?what did you decide..I see your comment is a few years ago

[@mtnmonamona842]

Why a collector and a box? My box collects the water and then goes into the tank. I really like the c-shaped dam and pvc fittings. I made my box out of old redwood tank. Thanks. This was fun to see.

[@umvhu]

Both sheep and cattle are primarily grazers so you might get some food competition, they can crop the grass down to the thickness of their lip, sheep have thinner lips. ;-)

[@cristianosilva6052]

Alsome iam looking to build a house at my property and its in a valley located in Murphy NC mountains i have a neighbor that has a spring and overflow to my property runs for about 300 yards to where iam looking to build my home And it triples the amount of water flow i have some spots that are like small creeks and some spots the water just runs under ground and when it pops out of the ground seam to have lot more flow and quantity? Where should I tap into or how should I approach i will make a video and post so you can see what iam talking about if you don't have the time to reply i can understand your video got me going on the idea of using the spring instead of a well thanks

[@wadehunt902]

What brand is the system and can you purchase anywhere. The whole setup. Great video Regards Wade

[@ozzmann3217]

How could I find if my water coming out of the ground is a natural ground spring and if I should develop it? I could email you a video but basically I can’t find anywhere it starts besides what looks to be out of the ground on my land... it move from my land to the left going towards a creek that runs quite a ways away it seems to flow constantly during all times of year and free it rains or after a drought ... I would love some pointers you are my go to for all things springs if this is an actual natural spring it will be the biggest blessing I could imagine for this property

[@mhazel9551]

Would I be able to have a pump on this box with a pressure switch running directly to my home?

[@najeyrifai293]

Awesome video, do you have any information on finding new springs?

[@engineer775]

Well springs typically find you in that if it's a viable spring the water is flowing or there's a very wet area where spring exists.

[@najeyrifai293]

@@engineer775 so there's at least some aspects of luck. That's understandable.

[@passingthroughtime3033]

@@engineer775 How do you get the dirt, germs and bacteria out of the dirty looking water?

[@AJRICHARDS]

Very helpful!

[@jennifercooper4031]

Help please, Family spring that's history goes back into the days of slavery is becoming clogged. It has a hole about 14 ft wide. Holds water year round but also getting rainy day run off from another pond. Can you tell me is there any way you know of to locate the spring head?

[@SkinnyMedic]

Great information!

[@engineer775]

Thank you sir!

[@stg-rt4se]

Very informative. Thanks for the guidance.

[@mr.espeedshop4839]

Is there a risk of root intrusion effecting the water quality?

[@27jimmymac]

Thank you. Nice job.

[@energiedev]

I also would love to know how to locate one. Also what are your options if you are in a area with little to no elevation change if you were to find one?

[@carolinewells4355]

I used dowsing rods to find springs on my property.

[@CABEZADIVACA]

this is pretty amazing. I am just fascinated with springs and oasis. Is this your business? Its rad man!

[@Hiker63]

Ok guys. I have a few springs on our property, one of them was developed by the previous owner. There is another spring that I'm trying to develop. It runs all year long. With the heavy rains it is producing water at a faster pace. I dug it out but was fighting a losing battle to dam it because of the flow. You think after watching hours and hours of spring development videos I would have been prepared. Scott makes it look simple. :( Any suggestions to eliminate enough of the water so it doesn't wash out the clay or cement?

[@Yitzhakhazak]

And a pump system pulling out water from the box, leading it to where it is needed? That must be it. 3 gallons a minute = 180 gallons an hour, that's a lot. Well done.

[@The1markchampion]

SUPER HELPFUL!!

[@stevenbenavente1229]

Good job

[@OzarkMountainMystic]

Your videos are great! I have been rebuilding a old spring box on our 38 acre farmstead in Arkansas and your content has been very helpful. I had a question about the sheep and their availability as I to would like to rotational graze sheep with a highland cattle herd and I like the idea of no wool. Thanks

[@Placeholder476]

04:19 This inlet has to be ABOVE the outlet in order to avoid back-pressure, right?

[@ozzmann3217]

I’m praying what I just found is a spring I’ve checked it several times and some being weeks after a rain it’s constantly slowing and it’s clear water it will move out the disturbs debris in no time but I want to develop it if it’s actually a spring if it is it may be the feeder for the creek going down the way because I can’t find where the water is coming from besides the ground which I’m going to start cleaning a path to

[@wa4aos]

I always enjoy your videos..Question???? I want to make a water deflector around a slab on one of my buildings. I was told that polyethylene would decompose under soil due to soil Ph issues???? I searched the web and found no info about this. My plans are to double layer the area and slope the ground away from the cement slab.. I will put a 4 foot by 30 foot, 6 mil, doubled thick, on the ground and cover it back up with clay. This will be repeated on 3 sides. The 4th side is serviced by a french drain. I have seen polyE break down from uv but wondering about dirt/clay. I am in SC in Laurens and my clay is probably similar to yours. Thanks and God Bless, Glenn

[@engineer775]

I have never seen is break down and hove several tanks that have been partially buried for 20 years.

[@williammills3454]

Enjoy your videos. I am developing a gravity fed spring using the same system that is in your videos. Our property does not have the nice red clay that you usually show to seal the dam. What is the best substitute for the red clay, concrete, a plastic lining of the pool, or something else?

[@kentagion]

William Mills we developed ours like this, the spring broke from under a large tree, we dug down around it and came to a metal plate someone had once made a spring box here, then we inverted a 25 gallon plastic barrel and drilled a series of holes to allow the water into the barrel at about 8 inches up from the bottom then we placed a length of plastic grinder pump casing 30 inches round over the barrel, and centered it allowing about 8 inch around the barrel to the inside of the casing we then drilled out our outlet holes straight through both casing and inner barrel, installed our pipes allowing the outlet to ride inside the barrel about 5 inches or so, then we filled the chase between the two with gravels clean to the top of the barrel, the outer casing is about a foot taller than our collection barrel you can buy a standard cover for the grinder pump casing, we then cut out an 8fx8f piece of rubber roofing and sloped it off so ground water runs past the over flow,[ we put it up about 8 inches down from the top of the inside barrel] it has worked well so far.

[@brucewayne-cave]

Outstanding video! I have several of these surface type springs. What was the white dam material made from?

[@engineer775]

Polyethylene. Let me know if you would like a system.

[@brucewayne-cave]

You shall be my 1st call.

[@WayneMeador]

Enjoyable video, I'm curious if there is a maximum recommended amount of dirt that you could backfil on top of a spring like that or does that pressure not usually affect them?

[@engineer775]

You can backfill as much as you want because the washed stone will not compress and is separated from the dirt above by the 6 mil plastic.

[@WayneMeador]

Yeah, I understand the separation Scott, I was just wondering about the overall pressure/weight and how that could affect the operation of the spring. I appreciate the answer, helps me to understand it all.

[@engineer775]

***** It won't effect it.

[@lynaeslater8369]

Hi Scott I have a 60feet by 60feet pond 12-14foot deep and water came up from the bottom in a spot could you get it going again by dinging it deeper with a shovel?

[@georgemwale3491]

do offer tailed plans and where to buy the materials to set up the taping of collecting of water?

[@The1markchampion]

Any recommendations on suppliers?

[@watermelonineasterhay7430]

7:05 note to self....get some rubber boots :) Nice job, I wish you had shown more detail in the steps though.

[@hjkhjk3829]

Can you grt enough water from this to make a pond to make fish?

[@trevorcoventry4540]

Hi there ..where can I buy the box and headwall collection system ...I have discovered a spring on my smallholding and need to rehabilitate it

[@Dagobert1234]

Scott, do you need a water permit to build a well in your county? Thanks for the reply All the best Kay

[@engineer775]

You need a permit to dig a well but not develop a spring.

[@MrTube310310]

HI, engineer775,I do appreciate all the informative video you are putting on line. I learn a lot through them. Spring catchment is something I'm interested in for the region I'm planning to implement it need some improvement in the way water in handled. Watching this video I wonder if there is no need for air vent in the spring head.

[@DaroyalBNN]

What should be the distance between the spring head and the spring box?

[@tyrannosapienlex]

Can a developed spring [or two, the sum of which produce enough to sustain a 3br/2ba home as sole water source] be made "wild" again and allowed, even coaxed, into forming a natural stream?

[@treerunner2665]

We accidentally covered a spring weep , now our pond is low!!! How do we’re activate it again hrlp

[@joelcoddington7581]

My question is because its so much lower than the grade of the ground. When you have lots of rain coming down isn't that going to wash some of your work out? Very cool never seen anything like it. Learned something new today. thanks

[@engineer775]

If you look again you will see a diversion ditch up top. Once vegetation starts growing back there will be no problems with erosion.

[@joelcoddington7581]

ok. To me it didn't look like enough. maybe its just the way it looks on camera. thanks again been really enjoying the vids.

[@engineer775]

joel coddington You are welcome.

[@brucewayne-cave]

Great job, as always. Do you use any silicone on your PVC bulkhead fittings on the wall dam; or only thick rubber washers, to seal on the radius of the wall?

[@fodderfresh1869]

the bulk head fittings you buy generally come with there own very good thick washer type gasket they are available at any tractor supply or hardware store hope it helps

[@paolapassuti2705]

Great !!!! Ship to Italy too ... how much does it cost?

[@EchoKilo]

What is the purpose of the green spring box? We are looking to make a water trough for our horses from a spring. Couldn't you go directly into a trough from the collection system?

[@engineer775]

You can go directly. The Spring box does a great job of catching sediment and regulating outflow with its adjustable outflow and overflow system. It allows you access to see the water, periodically flush the system etc.

[@blaxbently]

Would this be recommended for a Floridan spring down here in Florida?

[@mvalentinocook]

Do you put sand gravel to filter it? Are the plastic boxes "food grade"?

[@ocelot9173]

I want to build one of these my spring starts where this logging road was cut, so it's like beside this "road" (no one ever goes down the road it's private property) but I can't have a real long output pipe like yours shows, would it matter if the output pipe was only a couple of feet long?

[@bnas7034]

Lmao

[@mermaidswhimsy8601]

I would like to do this but where do I get the supplies? We have a small spring on our property that we are buying in Missouri. Any thoughts on where to buy those parts? I assume you cover it and then put chlorox tabs in there?

[@canoetipper019]

Thanks for the video...a question came tomind though: what would prevent your Clorox from simply running down theoverflow tube instead of going into the spring head...do you put some sort of riser in the overflow outlet?

[@NYCityPrepper]

as a precaution to monitor the flow, would you recommend letting the headwall spring run for month before backfill? this way we could see how the headwall performs under different flow events.

[@younginsong984]

Can we use hose instead of pipe? The place I have has streep hill and pipe wont fit it.

[@rudya7818]

This is exactly what I need on my north 10 by the dirt road. I can let it run into the ditch and save my bank for mowing.

[@GrandAbbot]

Thanks for putting this presentation together --- your information is truly an asset to humanity. Do you have any schematics for putting these components together?

[@tateeskew]

+GrandAbbot www.practicalpreppers.com/online-shop/water-solutions/water-collection-system-detail-view

[@MegaJohnson12]

If you ran the discharge pipe to a 2' sump pit is there a small solar pump you can use to pump it up hill to a house?

[@dpeagles]

google "ram pump"

[@clergyurge]

look at Engineer775's collection of videos, he has excellent on solar powered dank off "slow pumps".

[@engineer775]

Many options here. As has been said, Ram pumps, Solar Dankoff pumps, Solar Submersible pumps etc.

[@oiyan-l1m]

What can you do if you have a high flow spring on your land?

[@dalewcjr]

Engineer 775 I was wondering that damning device with the plastic tubing did you make that or can you really readily accessible for purchase. Also was wondering about you wouldn't want to have access with a concrete cover for that spring to gain access in case of it plugs or anything?

[@tckenyon89]

Thanks for sharing. I do have one question. In the spring box, what is the reason for putting a pipe in at a 90 facing up with the holes drilled instead of just letting the water run put via the output pipe? Did you do it just to help catch sediment? Is there anything you would have done different 5 years later?

[@engineer775]

This setup is designed to allow the optimal amount of water flow. We still recommend the spring box + water collection system combo. The holes allow you to experiment with the water flow

[@cyndeehorn7079]

Engineer775 on the youtube show about "Spring Development - Step by Step" you didnt show putting the rocks on the top of the spring and how you did that! You only showed it after you had done it and with black top domed over it. is there any way you could describe exactly what you left out of the video posted 2 years ago? It was awesome other than that!

[@moniquesolanilla6767]

This is what I need, where can I buy all the parts, and can it go to a tank?, Do you do this work? I am in Ma.

[@jefflowe8803]

what kinda a structure is there above the springe collection point? just the gravel to hold up the plastic sheet?

[@therockhounds3391]

What liner are you using to cover the gravel? I was looking for a NSF liner....thank you

[@Xsurvival-savageX]

Fk yeah 🤘🏽 gotta go do this

[@tfknauss]

Thought you would maybe make your holding tank a bit larger, our local Amish use tanks to keep cheese and milk cool in the summer. (more uses) Love how the old pioneers used springs and spring houses.

[@engineer775]

You can easily add a large tank down stream from the Spring Box. The spring box's function is to be a final sediment catch before end use and keeping it small makes it easy to maintain.

[@tfknauss]

Ok, pretty nice set up. Thanks for sharing your expertise. TK

[@mikelinniii1186]

Would this system work in the North East ,where the ground freezes?