Drilling a groundwater production borehole for West of Scotland Water at Bridge Farm borehole Machrie, Arran

Bridge Farm borehole, Machrie, Arran. Drilling a groundwater production borehole for West of Scotland Water at Machrie, Arran. The drill rig is located close to the 'String' road from Brodick at a site chosen by the Hydrogeology Group of BGS. The rig is using an air flush hammer to drill through Permian sandstone. The compressor is seen at the left. Compressed air is sent down the drill rods to the hammer at the bottom of the borehole. The air operates the hammer and brings cuttings and water to the surface. The water flows away from the site to a stream. The 4-wheel drive tractor unit powers the rig and is highly manoeuvrable - useful for sites with problematical access. British Geological Survey © NERC. All rights reserved.

Water is an abundant resource in Scotland - often it is on high quality, and on Arran, water for human consumption is extracted from Permian rocks - this is an image of the drilling of the Permian aquifer on Arran by the British Geological Survey.

SCRAN 000-000-032-696-C; British Geological Survey