What exactly is a Borehole?
Water boreholes (also known as water wells) are deep, narrow wells that tap into naturally
occurring underground water. This produces a private water supply of up to 20,000 litres per
day free of charge!
A specialist company will drill to a depth of about 40m (this is the recommended level for our
location), insert a well casing, install a pump (to raise water to the ground) and then fit with a
cover to protect the ground water supply from pollution.
In addition, we will run underground pipes from the ground water supply to strategically
positioned connecting points across the Rec – this work will be done by volunteers and should
only take a day or two.
The cost of the project is estimated at £20,000

Why do we need a Borehole?
We need a borehole to access a significant supply of water, at the right pressure and at no
cost to allow us to increase and maintain the quality of the grass surface of all areas of the
Rec through irrigation. Currently we just cannot, physically, get enough water to the effected
areas via the mains water supply and our hoses and sprinklers are not big enough for the job.
– See photograph below

What will the Borehole do?
The borehole will supply a continuous flow of water at over 1l/sec, about X 10 the amount
available from the standard outdoor tap and sufficient to power a circular irrigator with a 30m
radius. The general licence issued by the Environment agency allows everyone to abstract up
to 20 cu m of water per day, an amount which would be quite sufficient for our purposes.

• This will save a considerable amount of money on water bills.
• Avoid restrictions during droughts
• Reduce carbon emissions
• Greatly improve the quality and quantity of grass coverage across the Rec.

Why are we asking for your help?
We need your help primarily to raise funding for the project to go ahead. The cost of a
borehole, together with the associated irrigation equipment, is likely to be in the order of
£20,000. We have set up a Borehole fund raising committee which aims to raise up to half of
this via the cricket and football clubs along with other fund-raising initiatives within our
community.
The first step is to seek pledges of contributions from CC and FC members (including the
Vets) along with all the Elstead Sharks teams who all benefit from use of the rec. This process
worked well with the pavilion build, when we raised nearly £30,000 from a letter drop in the
village.

What can you do to help?
Organise individuals and groups under your jurisdiction to discuss fun ways in which to raise
money – no idea is silly and if we can make it fun it will help! Talk with your Borehole Fund
raising representative and start your fund raising plan today!!
Your help is very much appreciated and will benefit our whole community – thank you!