Spike well price and all water supply prices

Price list

Three jobs have no fixed price: well digging, spike well cleaning and repair, and borehole decommissioning. Why, and what the price depends on, is explained below. More on each service: spike well, boreholes, well cleaning, well digging, water pumps, water treatment, water testing and water supply system.

What spike well installation costs and what is not included

The spike well price covers driving or drilling the pipe with a filter down to the aquifer, materials and a check that the spike well gives water. The difference between €350 and €650 comes mainly from depth and soil.

• Depth: the deeper you have to go to reach water-bearing sand, the more pipes and work.
• Soil: in clean sand a spike well is driven quickly; clay layers, stones or gravel need drilling and may mean moving to another spot.
• Filter and pipes: fine sand needs a matching filter screen, otherwise the spike well clogs quickly.
• Location: in the garden or the basement, and how freely tools can reach it.

The price does not include a pump or pump station, a pressure tank or the connection to the house: the water pipe in a trench, the house entry and, if the spike well is outside, a pump housing that does not freeze in winter. We list these items separately in the offer.

Borehole price and total costs

A borehole's price is made up of several parts. We charge drilling by the metre: from €65/m with PVC pipes, ~€95–105/m with stainless steel pipes. So a typical private house borehole about 30 m deep costs from €2,000 (without the pump and pipe run); a shallower borehole is cheaper, a deeper one more expensive.

• Drilling: the depth, set by where the aquifer lies, and the pipe material.
• Equipment: from €500, without the pump. This is the borehole head or caisson, the pipes and fittings that connect the borehole to the water pipe.
• Pump: the price of a submersible pump depends on the model and depth; installation from €200.
• Pipe run to the house: the length of the trench and whether the house entry has to be built from scratch.
• Water treatment: if the test shows iron, manganese or hardness.
• State fees: borehole passport approval and, if the borehole is deeper than 20 m, a licence (see the table below).

Cleaning and flushing an existing borehole costs from €400, usually €400–700, depending on the depth and how much sand and sediment has built up. More: borehole cleaning and borehole equipment.

Well cleaning price

Well cleaning costs from €150, and the price includes disinfection after cleaning. The sum goes up with a deep well with many concrete rings, a thick layer of silt, fast inflow of water that needs a more powerful pump, and difficult access. Well deepening or repair, for example sealing the joints, costs from €150. More: well cleaning and well deepening.

Water quality test price

A basic water test costs from €35 and shows the main chemical parameters, such as iron, manganese, hardness and pH. A full test with microbiology (E. coli, coliforms) costs from €95. We take the sample, an accredited laboratory does the test, and we explain the result: what needs to be done and what does not.

The laboratory usually compares the result with the limit values of Cabinet Regulation No. 547 on drinking water: iron 200 µg/l, manganese 50 µg/l, nitrates 50 mg/l, ammonium 0.50 mg/l, E. coli and coliforms 0, pH 6.5–9.5. For a private source used by fewer than 50 people or from which no more than 10 m³ per day is taken, this regulation is not mandatory, but it is a good reference point. There is no limit value for hardness.

Jobs we price after hearing the situation

We do not publish a price for these three jobs, because two similar cases can cost very differently. Describe the situation in the form, and a specialist will state the price after hearing the details or inspecting the site.

Well digging: we price it after hearing the situation. The price depends on:

• the depth to the aquifer, that is, how many concrete rings are needed;
• the soil: sand, clay, stones, quicksand, high groundwater;
• the type and diameter of the rings (concrete or fibreglass) and their delivery;
• whether an excavator can be used or the well has to be dug by hand;
• extra work: sealing the ring joints, a filter layer at the bottom of the well, a cover or well house, disinfection, a pump and a water pipe to the house.

Spike well cleaning and repair: we price it after hearing the situation. The price depends on:

• what has happened: a clogged filter (sand, silt, iron deposits), a damaged pipe or filter, an air leak in the joints, or a fault in the pump or non-return valve;
• how badly the spike well is clogged: whether flushing is enough, or the spike well has to be pulled out and the filter replaced;
• the depth and location of the spike well (garden, basement, access for machinery);
• whether the old spike well is worth restoring, or it is better value to install a new one next to it (a new spike well from €350).

Borehole decommissioning: we price it after hearing the situation. The price depends on:

• the depth and diameter of the borehole, that is, how much plugging material is needed;
• what has to be removed from the borehole: the pump, cable, stuck pipes or other obstacles;
• the condition and construction of the borehole: pipes, filter, whether aquifers have to be separated;
• the plugging material (for example bentonite or cement grout) and access for machinery;
• documents after the job: a certificate of decommissioning of the borehole, signed by the client and the contractor.

More: well digging, spike well cleaning, spike well repair and borehole decommissioning.

State fees that are not our prices

These fees are set by the state. We list them separately in the offer, so you can see what is work and what is a state fee. A family house's source usually takes far less than 10 m³ per day, so no natural resources tax has to be paid. Businesses that take 10 m³ per day or more also need a water use permit (state fee €78.26); more: borehole for a business and borehole passport.

Worked examples

The examples show how the price list items add up. They are starting sums; we state the final price when the depth, soil and access are known.

1. Spike well for a summer house in sandy soil Groundwater close to the surface, spike well in the garden. Spike well installation: €350–650. Add a pump or pump station at the price of the chosen model. If the spike well is up to 20 m deep and you need less than 10 m³ of water per day, no VVD licence is needed.
2. 30 m borehole for a private house Borehole: from €2,000. Equipment: from €500. Submersible pump installation: from €200. Work in total: at least €2,700 plus the pump and the water pipe to the house. Because the borehole is deeper than 20 m, state fees are added: the licence €35.57 and passport approval €115.34, €150.91 in total.
3. 50 m borehole Drilling with PVC pipes: 50 m × €65–80/m = €3,250–4,000. With stainless steel pipes (~€95–105/m): about €4,750–5,250. Add equipment from €500, pump installation from €200 and the same state fees of €150.91.
4. Dug well cleaning and a water test Cleaning with disinfection: from €150. After disinfection, once the water has recovered, a full test: from €95. Total: at least €245.
5. Iron in the water of a private house Basic test: from €35. If iron or manganese exceeds the limit value, an iron removal filter with installation: from €600. Total: at least €635. If the water is also hard, a water softener with installation adds from €600.