Well Water A well is a hole in the earth from which fluid is withdrawn. Although water wells are the most common type, oil, gas, and mining wells also exist. A well is made by reaching the water table. Wells can be made in a variety of ways, digging, driving, boring, or drilling. Wells draw water up from the ground, called ground water.
Ground water is stored naturally below the Earth's surface.
Most ground water originates as rain or snow that seeps into the ground and collects. Ground water provides about 20 percent of the fresh water used in the United States. Most rural areas, and some cities depend on ground water as their source for water. Driven wells consist of a series of pipes with a point at the end. The point is driven into the ground, thus the name driven, to a depth of up to 50 feet.