How We Developed A Natural Spring On Our Off Grid Homestead

Developing a spring on our land has been a top priority since day one, especially since we are off grid and still relying on a rusty old well drilled a long time ago, but we finally got around to it with some perfect conditions in the middle of winter ; ) Lou has been on the hunt for high-elevation springs for over a year, and the one he found has been a fountain of fresh water so far, so fingers crossed it continues that way year round! There appear to be 3 more springs in that area, so our hope is to develop all of them, funnel that water into a ram pump, and get a near-unlimited supply of gravity fed drinking water at the top of the mountain. If there are any experts in spring developing watching this video, please send us any notes/advice because we could use the input for future spring projects!!!

Big love,
Dana, Lou, Max & Freja

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[greatcondor]

Don't forget to test for lead and other heavy metals. Prior owners of my farm all went insane from lead in the spring water.

[relativityboy]

I just bought a piece of land that was built on about 15 years ago. It was a wet site that had been managed to put in the building. Had an arborist out about a bunch of very tired looking trees downhill of the building.

Arborist said "We see this often. People change or take away the water flow, and about a decade later there's a big die-off in trees downhill of the spring/building".

Could be a good idea to "give back" a gallon or two of that four-gallon flow, or your kid might have fewer trees in the forest downhill..

[judygilbert]

The sound of that running water is so peaceful

[laurieanne]

I think Freya was in her element with you! Also thank you for that running water sound & not playing music over

[nerolsalguod]

Your overflow box should be at the source where it comes from the ground.
That way the overflow contiues to water the mountainside and keep it green rather than get dry and die off.

[jacobkuntflapp]

That German shepherd is living the life.

[mysecondfiftyyears]

This is exactly what I needed to see!!! Thank you for sharing. I have found springs but wasn’t sure what to do and what not to do. It looks just like yours!!!! ❤🎉😊 Our Shepherd even looks like yours. We’re in Kentucky, probably going to binge on your channel today. I’ve been raising babies/kids for 32 years yesterday, the land has been waiting for me to make the best of it. It’s finally time. 😅

[bobkelley]

My grandfather and great uncles would find spring on their land in Wisconsin. They would dig a hole in the rocks and put in a 2.5- 3 foot culvert liner. Then wait until the water ran clear and collect water for drinking. They bathed in lake water that included chopping ice in the winter. But the spring area would never freeze from what I remember however I am in my 70's now. My grandfather was born in the 1980's. My parents born in 1920's. Now us kids are the old ones. Life go so fast, day by day, month by month, year by year.

[highestheels]

Hey Dana and Lou,
First off, i am dumbfounded everytime you start a new project, not simply because of the sheer will to take on such demanding tasks but also from your sense of creativity to think of new ways to improve your off the grid lifestyle. i started watching you way back when you did a tutorial on how to develop film at home ( i was 14) and kept up with you throughout all your changes and found myself growing alongside you. im in the middle of medical school and as demanding as it feels, somehow your courage makes it easier to find new ways to assess whatever comes my way and leaves room for excitement and hope for the future no matter how different our circumstances are. thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me push through and hold fast ❤

[emmamorgan]

Well done Lou! Just another completely natural resource for your lovely family. ❤

[riverunner]

This is what I have for a water supply. It is a gravity fed system of over 100 years old I’m the 4th generation here using this spring water is so delicious and perfect. This is how all the early settlers here got their water. They never used big digging equipment to work in the area as it could change the flow or lose it completely. My spring is located 1, 500 ft up the mountain.

[timmcdonald]

I do not want to tell you your business, but the highest spring is not always the best. Those natural springs and seeps are fed by the water table under that mountain. In drought conditions, the higher springs tend to dry up first.

[uggali]

Last year i was working on spring restoration at a volcano in New Zealand. I like what you did with the rock creating a pool, all i would add is the bigger the pool the better, and get as many native plants around it as possible. Spring ecosystems are very very special. Plants that like wet feet are called hydrophites

[conrado]

If you ever need to lay pipe again, please roll the coil out instead of pulling it out sideways. Rolling it out will ensure the pipe ends up (more) flat and it won't kink as easily either. It is a bit harder to do perhaps. Pulling it out sideways will give you all these curled up tangles.

[optimoprimo]

We have a farm of 150 acres in a valley with a river running through it.
The farm is fed by underground springs.
We found two springs on the hill like yours and my dad made watering station on the hill with faucets.
Then he ran pipes like you did to the barn and used a old bathtub and toilet float to automatically refill when horses drink from bathtub.

[helloemilymills]

Wow. This made me realise how little I've thought about where water really comes from when its not provided by the city 😅 What a great project.

[frasercrone]

We installed a system like yours here in Australia, but it was fed by an abandoned horizontal gold mine shaft going in the side of a mountain where we had our house. We did not need a pump as gravity took it to the house. Because of the risk of summer fires, we had to bury the pipe all the way which was a lot of digging in rocky and tree root ground. Before finding this water source we were using a ram pump to bring water from a river below our house up to it using a nearby spring that had iron water coming out of it. We used one developed in Australia that uses a rubber bellows that looks like a small tyre and it performed very well for several years with no down time. The water from the mine was clear and neutral in taste and passed the pathogen test but we also had the water tested for mineral content and the only point of concern was a higher arsenic level but that was common for the area and the river water was at the same level and the old timers in town had been drinking that with no ill effects for many years. It is great to be water secure when living in a rural environment.

[miriamwilson]

Cliffhanger on the water test results... ! 😯

[MarkH]

Value is a very personal thing. However. It is also Commercially certain, and specific. My city charges $4.6/1000 gallons up to 15, 000/mo.
You are producing 120, 000 gallons a month. Astounding. I would value your water at $500/mo.
The greater value is 2 fold. It is 12 months water, and it is on your property. The 'system' was the rock, and you developed more in a few hours. Your wonderful child will be able to gift this to his Grandchildren with little more work over the next century. What a blessing. It is also a certain source of power with not much mechanical addition needed. The hydroelectric power would be at or above the water value, so your "income" from this spring is a minimum of $1k/mo. I certainly do applaud your resolve to find this, and your success.
I suspect it's purity is above average for municipal systems across the US.

[si_vis_amari_ama]

I did not know that in times past, springs were considered sacred. Thats interesting, as when I come across a spring in nature, I am filled with awe and beauty of the clean, clear, pure water that flows forth. It always moves something inside me that is different to whatever else is going on.