If water flows out of a new well that taps an aquifer without the help of the pump, it is called a

• A. Free-Flowing Well
• B. Artesian Wall
• C. Artesian Well
• D. Unconfined Well

Answer: (B)

Water flows without pumping when the groundwater is under pressure in a confined aquifer. The pressure in that aquifer can push water up the borehole and even above ground, so the well discharges naturally. That situation is called an artesian condition, and the well that taps it is an artesian well. If the pressure is strong enough to keep water flowing at the surface, it’s often described as a flowing artesian well.

An unconfined well taps an unconfined aquifer, which doesn’t have the extra hydraulic pressure from overlying confining layers, so it typically doesn’t flow without pumping. The term “Artesian Wall” isn’t a standard hydrogeology term, whereas artesian well (and flowing artesian well when it discharges) is.