BajaNomad

Well Drilling.....

Ford - 3-7-2010 at 09:14 AM

We are located just outside of San Jose Del Cabo in Playa Tortuga. We are in need of a well! We have been getting crazy pricing to get the permits and drill the well. It seems so weird that we get a price from a lawyer to do the paperwork and he gives us a price to also drill the well!
Does anyone know a well driller? I am thinking that they will know the best way to get the permit. It is going to be a brakish well and we already have the desal in place. It has been sitting there for over 2 years....We thought we were in cue for a permit and found out when we called conagua that they had no paperwork!
Thanks for your help!
Ford

Steve&Debby - 3-7-2010 at 08:24 PM

Hey Ford,Keep me posted as to how the process works.I am a well drilling contractor in northern California and am curious as to how it works out for you.
If I could work in Mexico I would drill the well for you.I have 2 drill rigs ready to go to Mexico and go to work.
If I could work In Mexico part time We would be buying a house in Mulege and heading south.
Good luck,Steve

[Edited on 3-8-2010 by Steve&;Debby]

Getting Drilled

MrBillM - 3-7-2010 at 09:00 PM

There was a crackdown by the Government a couple of years back on un-permitted wells in the campos south of San Felipe. I was told the fines worked out to around 20-25K DOLLARS per well. And, they had to be filled in.

One important lesson that came out of the event was that, IF you ever drill an illegal well, don't EVER make an enemy of a neighbor.

rocmoc - 3-7-2010 at 09:20 PM

What kind of prices? Our well in So. AZ. drilled, pump installed, plumbing and electric was $13,000.

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

I'm told that...

Dave - 3-8-2010 at 07:55 AM

In Mexico, all riparian rights are owned by the government. Permits are difficult to obtain, especially if not used for agricultural purposes. Doubly so if applied for by non-nationals. Once drilled, you should expect to pay for water extracted.

Good luck.

k-rico - 3-8-2010 at 08:25 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Dave
In Mexico, all riparian rights are owned by the government. Permits are difficult to obtain, especially if not used for agricultural purposes. Doubly so if applied for by non-nationals. Once drilled, you should expect to pay for water extracted.

Good luck.


This thread interests me because I've heard of fresh water problems for new developments in my neck of the woods. Moot issue right now because of the recession caused slowdown but there was a lot of talk of problems when the boom was happening.

"In Mexico, water use has been historically tied to the principal that water resources are the property of the state and thus should be a free, constitutional right for every citizen. This concept comes from land reforms established in 1917 in Article 27 of the Mexico Constitution."

But it gets quickly complicated.

http://lanic.utexas.edu/la/mexico/water/ch7.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_resources_in_Mexico

rob - 3-8-2010 at 09:20 AM

Hi Ford - we have a ranch on the Pacific, and have been through the water thing - in spades! One day will write a book, but you certainly don't need a lawyer to get a well permit.

Well permits are easy to obtain. Haven't priced them for 5 years , but it was about $680 pesos (open wells are even cheaper). Just go to the local ventanilla (public office) of CONAGUA In San Jose and get the paperwork. They will also help you fill it out.

You mention that you already know it will be a brackish well - I hope that means you already have the water rights title (if not, read below).

You cannot drill a well without the requisite water rights!!!!! Don't try, don't even think about it. Wells follow water rights, NOT the other way round.

If you cannot buy fresh (agua dulce) water rights (which are worth their weight in gold, at least on the Pacific Coast), you need agua salobre (salt) water rights. These are easier to get in that you don't have to buy them (although the CONAGUA application process WILL require an engineer).

You will be drilling a well on the beach (or pretty damn close), and you will need further CONAGUA permits for the disposition of aguas residuales, the poisonous brine and chemical byproducts of desalination (again, your engineer will design these plans). He will also be able to suggest a couple of well-drillers for competitive bids.

Martyman - 3-8-2010 at 09:34 AM

Poisonous brine?

Isn't it just salt?

rob - 3-8-2010 at 01:12 PM

Brine IS poisonous to marine life, in fact CONAGUA actually make you pump it into a seperate disposal well to dilute the effluent sufficiently before it hits the sea again (this last statement is quantity dependent).

There are also nasty biocides required to backflush the RO membranes that do not disappear magically either.

monoloco - 3-8-2010 at 01:36 PM

Rob, are you currently using R.O. for your water? If so what size system are you running?

BajaRat - 3-8-2010 at 02:57 PM

Rob,
You obviously know your salt. Thanks, Lionel