What are the benefits of a borehole water supply?

An increasing number of commercial organisations are choosing to invest in some kind of borehole water supply solution. While a lot of people will tout various benefits, whether independence from the water grid or higher-quality sourcing, it can be difficult to determine which of these are genuine reasons to invest. 

We decided to compile some of the genuine benefits associated with drilling boreholes for water, bringing them all to a single location. If you’re considering investing in the near future, then these are some potential advantages to keep in mind. 

Cost savings

If you’re considering borehole benefits, you’ll want to keep in mind the impact it can have on cost savings. After the initial infrastructural investments, such as carrying out initial water table surveys, boring the hole, and having the pump installed, your water-related costs will be minimal. 

In most cases, your only expenses will be the electricity necessary to power the water pump and potentially some minimal maintenance costs. If your organisation uses a lot of water, this can result in a very rapid ROI, especially if you’re in an area with particularly high water rates.

With the water delivery infrastructure in this country in a terrible condition, and the burden of updates and repairs increasingly being passed on to consumers, it’s definitely a good time to invest in this kind of water system.

The sooner you invest in a borehole, the sooner it’ll start paying for itself through actively reducing your utility bills.

Insulation from water rate changes

Another cost-related benefit to having water autonomy is that your organisation will be insulated from any changes to water rates. In the UK in particular, there have been huge fluctuations in utility prices in recent years, and for businesses that have substantial water requirements, this can be quite damaging. 

Whether all of your water comes from your own borehole or just a portion of your total water needs is met this way, you’ll be at the very least somewhat insulated from these rate fluctuations. If you’re concerned about maintaining financial stability in your organisation into the future, this can end up being a very important benefit indeed.

While the costs of certain utilities can be difficult to determine into the future with any high level of accuracy, it’s relatively safe to say that, in this country at least, water prices won’t be going down any time soon. Given the increasing prevalence of both droughts and organisational chaos with multiple regional water providers in the UK, businesses that rely on water for their operations would do well to secure a cost-insulated source sooner rather than later. 

Stable water quality

In some cases, organisations require a very stable quality of water. Whether for manufacturing purposes or to produce some kind of food or drink, it can be incredibly important that you know exactly what you’re getting in your water supply. 

With boreholes, you’re not susceptible to any processing issues at your local pumping or treatment facility. You won’t be subject to the errors of your local water authority, which, as you’ll know, are becoming increasingly commonplace in this country.

That’s not to say that the water quality is just automatically perfect. You’ll still need to carry out regular testing on the output, and implement a screening and purification process that keeps the water at the right quality for your specific requirements. 

High water quality

Not only is the quality of water from boreholes dependable, but it’s often also very high. In many cases, it will be of a far higher quality than the water you get from the mains, with far fewer chemicals resulting from water purification processes. 

Instead, it will have been naturally filtered through layers of rock, soil and other ground materials. If you need it to be even more stable, or to remove certain other impurities, you can always install a treatment and testing facility alongside your pumping system.

Water supply security

Having a completely reliable water supply can be incredibly important in some industries. In certain sectors, such as manufacturing, a break in the water supply can have incredibly damaging repercussions, and should be avoided at all costs. 

Having both a borehole and the water mains on hand means you have a high level of water redundancy. The chances that they both fail at the same time are practically zero, making it an ideal solution for these kinds of organisations.

If you are operationally dependent on water supply reliability, then this benefit likely won’t be something to merely consider; it will be a necessity, if you want to be able to ensure an acceptable level of operational consistency. 

Increased sustainability

Getting water from your own borehole can also have a positive impact on your organisation’s overall sustainability score. In a business environment where sustainability is becoming increasingly important, this isn’t a benefit that should be overlooked.

When you get water from a mains supply, it will have been through multiple energy-intensive treatment processes, not to mention the amount of energy needed to move that water around distribution systems.  

The water that comes from your own borehole may not need treating at all, and will only have had to travel a matter of metres. You’ll be reducing your carbon footprint, while also promoting sustainable water practices.

Customised water treatment

In some cases, you may find that your water requirements are quite unique. You may need to ensure that the water is a certain hardness, contains certain minerals, or has a certain acidity in order to be appropriate for your industrial requirements.

Whatever those requirements are, with a borehole water source, you can make sure that you customise your water treatment facility to fulfil those needs. The water as it comes out of the ground should already be quite pure, and you can then add or take away any impurities as necessary.

You may need to work with quite specific experts to get this kind of treatment facility up and running. If possible, get the water source tested early on, to see if it will be well suited to these specific requirements. 

These initial tests will make it simpler to outline the broader viability of your water borehole plans, and ensure that there are minimal surprises further down the line.

Long-term investment

While there are obviously bigger up-front costs with borehole water supplies compared to water from the mains, those costs are an investment. The infrastructure that you pay for will add value to the property, resulting in an asset that can be liquidated if and when you choose to sell the property. 

While cash flow may be an issue, it’s important to take this perspective when considering whether a borehole is worth it or not. Not only will you save money on your water bills, but you’ll also have a tangible asset that’s owned by your business. 

While these benefits cover the main reasons behind why organisations choose to invest in borehole water supplies, it’s by no means an exhaustive list. It’s worth asking questions like how does a borehole work, so that you can develop a deep understanding of why people invest in these kinds of solutions. 

Make sure that you carry out the right checks before committing to this kind of solution, so that you know exactly what it is you’re getting into.