Yesterday a reader left this question in the comments section: " Any insights into ground water on Ocracoke? Clearly it would vary by location/elevation, but in the area of the Village Craftsmen, for instance, how far down can you dig before you hit ground water?"
In 2008 Lou Ann wrote a humorous article about me installing a pitcher pump behind my house. The article will illustrate what it takes to tap into island ground water. You can read that article here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news062908.htm.
At the end of the article I added this geology note:
like the rest of the Outer Banks, is low and narrow. As rain
falls on these barrier islands water filters through the sandy
soil. What does not run off into the Atlantic Ocean or Pamlico Sound
flows below the surface where it mingles with underlying sediments that
are saturated with salty ocean water. Although some intermixing occurs,
fresh water is less dense than salt water, and forms a floating lens
above the salt-laden water.
The boundary between the fresh and salt water layers varies with the
tides and rainfall, but Ocracoke nearly always maintains a fresh water
lens that is about 10 - 15 feet thick, and which lies about 4 - 5 feet
below the surface. [Ground water can be] clear and sweet-smelling, though [it] is sometimes darker with an odor. In any case it is always
perfect for watering plants or rinsing off after a day at the beach.
And a well point and pump can be installed here in less than a day!
Out latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a reprint of a 1948 article about the
Mail Boat Aleta, "Boat Hauls Mail, More." You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news032114.htm.