Re: Water quality

Alkalinity generally increases as you go deeper. This is because as you go deeper, the water is older (in the ground, that is...) and has more time to dissolve more minerals.

The definition of an "artesian well" is a well that enters an aquifer that has a cap on it, and has a source higher than the ground where the well is sunk. This results in a pressure flow at the wellhead which negates the need for a pump. Sometimes, a natural spring will also show positive pressure at the exit. St. David, in southern Arizona, once had many artesian wells, but over the years the pressure is now lower than atmospheric and now they require pumping. The Ogalala Aquifer, in the central part of the country is probably the best known artesian aquifer, but like the one at St. David, the pressure has been relieved due to overuse of the water, and the wells are no longer considered "artesian".