How deep is the groundwater at my location?

Enter your location in the Aurora Rigs estimator. In the United States it uses recent USGS depth-to-water measurements from nearby monitoring wells; elsewhere it gives a modeled range based on rainfall and terrain. Only a test borehole confirms the real depth.

What pump size do I need for my well?

Pump power depends on flow rate and total head (pumping water level plus delivery pressure and friction). The estimator calculates an indicative motor size in kW and HP from your required flow and delivery pressure.

Are the results guaranteed?

No. All results are approximate. Use a licensed driller or hydrogeologist, obtain permits, and run a pumping test and water quality test before relying on any figure.

Groundwater & Water Well Estimator

1. Your drilling site

Place, address or coordinates

Or click anywhere on the map. Use my location

2. Water demand

Intended use

Required flow m³/h

≈ 8.8 US GPM

Delivery pressure head m

≈ 43 psi at surface

I understand that all results are approximate, are not a site survey or professional advice, and I have read the Legal Notice & Disclaimer.

Choose a location and tick the box to continue.

Terrain

Climate

Groundwater records

Oil, gas & geothermal

Well design

Aurora Rigs — Groundwater & Water Well Estimate

aurorarigs.com/groundwater-well-estimator · WhatsApp +1 (208) 760-9817

Indicative results

Ready to drill this well?

Send these results to Aurora Rigs and we will recommend a water well drilling rig, bits and tooling sized for your depth and borehole diameter.

Send results on WhatsApp

How the estimate works

The tool combines free public data with standard water well rules of thumb. Each result is labeled Measured nearby, Modeled or Calculated so you can see how much weight to give it.

Water table depth

In the United States we use the most recent static depth-to-water readings (USGS parameter 72019) from monitoring wells near your site. Everywhere else, and where no records exist, we estimate a range from long-term rainfall (NASA POWER) and the site's position in the landscape (hilltop, slope or valley). This follows the published finding that climate and terrain largely control water table depth (Fan, Li & Miguez-Macho, Science 339:940–943, 2013).

Well depth, yield & diameter

Recommended depth = deepest expected water level + expected drawdown at your flow + about 10 m (33 ft) for pump submergence and sump. Diameter follows common practice: 4-inch pumps in 6-inch casing for small flows, up to 8–10-inch pumps for high-capacity wells. Actual aquifer yield can only be proven by a pumping test.

Pump, heat & hazards

Pump power uses P = ρ·g·Q·H / η with a wire-to-water efficiency of 55% and 10% friction allowance, rounded up to a standard motor size. Water temperature uses mean air temperature plus a regional geothermal gradient (25 °C/km global average; hotter provinces run higher). Hot springs, geothermal plants, oil and gas wells and pipelines come from OpenStreetMap, which is incomplete.

Legal Notice & Disclaimer

1. Indicative estimates only

The Groundwater & Water Well Estimator (the "Tool") provides approximate, indicative figures only. Results are generated automatically from third-party public datasets and simplified models. They are not a hydrogeological survey, geological report, engineering design, drilling prognosis or water rights assessment, and they do not guarantee that groundwater exists at the location, or at any particular depth, flow rate, temperature or quality.

2. No professional advice

Nothing in the Tool is engineering, geological, legal, environmental or financial advice. Before you drill or buy equipment, consult a licensed water well contractor and, where appropriate, a qualified hydrogeologist or engineer, and rely on their site-specific findings.

3. Third-party data

The Tool relies on data from the U.S. Geological Survey, NASA POWER, OpenStreetMap contributors, Nominatim / Photon geocoding and terrain elevation tiles. Aurora Rigs does not control these sources and does not warrant their accuracy, completeness or timeliness. Monitoring-well readings describe conditions at those wells on the dates measured, not at your site. OpenStreetMap does not record every oil well, gas well, pipeline or hot spring. If none are shown, that does not mean none exist.

4. Your responsibilities before drilling

Obtain all permits, licenses and water rights required in your jurisdiction.
Confirm the minimum separation distances that apply to your site, including from septic systems, oil and gas wells, pipelines, fuel tanks, landfills and property lines.
Locate buried utilities before any ground disturbance (in the United States, call 811).
Check with the local oil and gas regulator for active, abandoned or unmapped wells and for any shallow gas risk.
Carry out a pumping test and a laboratory water quality test before using the water for drinking, livestock or irrigation.

5. No warranty and limitation of liability

The Tool is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. To the maximum extent permitted by law, SortLease LLC (doing business as Aurora Rigs), its members, employees and partners are not liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or special loss or damage, including dry or low-yield wells, drilling costs, equipment purchases, property damage, contamination or lost profits, arising from use of or reliance on the Tool or its results.

6. Privacy

The location you enter is sent from your browser directly to the third-party data services listed above so that they can return results. Aurora Rigs does not receive or store your search on its servers unless you choose to send it to us, for example by WhatsApp.

7. Governing law

This notice is governed by the laws of the State of Wyoming, USA, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. By using the Tool you accept this notice. Aurora Rigs is a brand of SortLease LLC, 30 N Gould St Ste R, Sheridan, WY 82801, USA.

Last updated: October 2026.