Two ways to put a private well in your yard and take your sprinklers off expensive city water — here's the plain-English difference, and how to pick the right one for your Wichita lawn.
The short answer: a sand-point well is the cheaper, shallow option that fits most modest Wichita lawns — it works well because we sit over the shallow Equus Beds aquifer. A drilled well is the deeper, higher-volume, longer-lasting choice for big lawns, many sprinkler zones at once, or whole-property use.
We install both, and we help you pick the right one for free. Get a free property check. We'll look at whether you have a good shallow sand layer and size the well to your lawn — then give you one fixed price.
If you want to stop paying the city to water your lawn, a private well is usually the answer. But "well" isn't one thing — there are two common ways to do it, and the right choice depends on your yard, how much water you need, and how long you want it to last with little fuss. Below is the difference in normal terms, a side-by-side comparison, and a simple guide by use case.
A sand-point well — also called a "driven" well or a "well-point" — is exactly what it sounds like: a pointed, screened pipe that gets driven straight down into the ground until it reaches a shallow, water-bearing layer of sand. The pointed tip lets it push through the soil, and the screen near the tip lets water in while keeping out the bigger grit. For shallow setups, no big drilling rig is needed.
Because it relies on a shallow sand layer close to the surface, a sand-point is best in shallow, sandy aquifers — which is the good news for Wichita (more on that below). It delivers a modest, steady flow that's well-suited to watering a lawn or garden. The trade-offs: that flow can be limited if you're trying to run a lot of water at once, the screen can clog with fine sand or silt over time, and it generally needs a bit more occasional upkeep than a drilled well. For most average lawns, none of that is a dealbreaker — it's the lower-cost way in. This is the heart of our irrigation & sand-point wells service.
A drilled well is the heavier-duty option. Instead of being driven in, it's bored into the ground with a rotary drilling rig, lined with casing (a pipe that holds the hole open and protects it), and fitted with a submersible pump set deep in the water. Just as important, it gets a sanitary surface seal — grout — that keeps surface water and contamination from running down alongside the well and into the aquifer.
Because it goes far deeper and draws from a deeper part of the water column, a drilled well delivers higher, more reliable flow and volume, resists clogging better, and typically lasts longer with less fuss. The trade-off is up-front cost: the rig, the casing, and the deep pump all add up, so it costs more to install than a sand-point. If you need serious water or the longest-lasting, lowest-maintenance supply, this is the one. See our well drilling service.
Here's the quick comparison most homeowners are after:
| Sand-point (driven) well | Drilled well | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical depth | Shallow — commonly within ~25 ft (basic suction pump), up to ~50 ft with the right pump & pipe | Much deeper — reaches a deeper, more reliable part of the water column |
| How it's installed | Pointed, screened pipe driven straight into a shallow sand layer; no big rig for shallow depths | Bored with a rotary rig; lined with casing; deep submersible pump; sealed surface (grout) |
| Up-front cost | Lower — the cheaper entry point for a modest lawn | Higher — the rig, casing & pump cost more |
| Water volume / flow | Modest, steady flow — fine for a typical lawn/garden; limited for high simultaneous demand | Higher and more reliable — handles big lawns, many zones at once, whole-property use |
| Best for | Modest/average lawns over a good shallow sand layer | Large lawns, estates, many sprinkler zones, or whole-property/highest reliability |
| Lifespan & maintenance | Screen can clog with fine sand/silt over time; needs more occasional upkeep | Resists clogging; typically lasts longer with less fuss |
One thing this table can't give you is an exact dollar figure — pricing depends on your property. For honest, local numbers on what a complete well runs in the Wichita area, see our cost guide.
Both well types take your sprinklers off Wichita's expensive tiered city water. Plug in your lawn size and watering to see how fast a private well pays for itself.
Here's why a sand-point well is a real, lower-cost option around here. Wichita sits over the Equus Beds aquifer, which the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) classifies as shallow — where wells are less than 80 feet deep. In places, the water table sits within roughly 10 feet of the land surface.
That shallow, sandy, water-rich layer is exactly what a driven sand-point well needs. When water is close to the surface in a good sand layer, you don't need a deep, expensive drilled hole just to reach it — so a sand-point becomes a viable, affordable way to water a modest lawn. It's the same shallow aquifer that keeps even full drilled wells more affordable here than in regions where homeowners drill hundreds of feet to find water.
A sand-point isn't always the right call. Lean toward a full drilled well when any of these apply:
If you're watering a typical Wichita lawn and want the most affordable way off city water, a sand-point (irrigation) well is usually the smart entry point. Start here: irrigation & sand-point wells.
If you need higher, more reliable volume — or you simply want the longest-lasting, lowest-maintenance supply — go with a full drilled well: well drilling.
You don't have to guess. We come out, check whether your property has a good shallow sand layer, and size the well to your lawn and how you water — then give you one fixed price. The regulated work is performed by licensed, insured KDHE well contractors. Get a free property check.
A sand-point (or driven) well is a pointed, screened pipe driven straight into a shallow, water-bearing sand layer — no big drilling rig needed for shallow depths. It's the cheaper, faster option for a modest lawn. A drilled well is bored with a rotary rig, lined with casing, fitted with a deep submersible pump, and sealed at the surface with grout. It goes deeper, delivers more water, resists clogging, and lasts longer, but costs more up front.
For most modest Wichita lawns, yes. Wichita sits over the shallow, sandy Equus Beds aquifer — exactly the kind of shallow water-bearing sand layer a driven sand-point well is designed for. A sand-point delivers a modest, steady flow that suits a typical lawn or garden and takes your sprinklers off expensive city water. If you have a large lawn, many sprinkler zones running at once, or whole-property needs, a full drilled well is the better fit. We confirm which one suits your property with a free on-site check.
Sand-point wells are shallow — commonly within about 25 feet for a basic shallow-well (suction) pump setup, and up to roughly 50 feet with the right pump and pipe. Drilled wells go much deeper and reach a more reliable part of the water column. Over Wichita's shallow Equus Beds aquifer, where wells are typically less than 80 feet deep and water sits within about 10 feet of the surface in places, both options can reach water.
A drilled well generally lasts longer with less upkeep. Its casing, deep submersible pump, and sealed surface (grout) protect it from contamination and resist clogging. A sand-point well's screen can clog with fine sand or silt over time, so it usually needs more occasional maintenance. If lowest long-term fuss matters most to you, the drilled well is the heavier-duty choice.
Because of the Equus Beds aquifer. The USGS classifies it as shallow where wells are less than 80 feet deep, and in places the water sits within about 10 feet of the land surface. That shallow, sandy, water-rich layer is exactly what a driven sand-point well needs, which makes sand-points a viable, lower-cost option for lawn irrigation in the Wichita area.
The simplest way is a free on-site property check. We look at whether your spot has a good shallow sand layer, then size the well to your lawn and how you water. A modest, average lawn usually fits a sand-point or irrigation well; a large lawn, many sprinkler zones, an estate, or whole-property use points to a full drilled well. Either way you get one fixed price, and the work is performed by licensed, insured well contractors. Get a free property check.
We install both sand-point and drilled wells — and we'll tell you which one your property needs for free, then give you one fixed price.