artesian well

noun

1. a well in which water rises under pressure from a permeable stratum overlaid by impermeable rock.

artesian well

/ ɑːˈtiːzɪən; -ʒən /

noun

1. a well sunk through impermeable strata into strata receiving water from an area at a higher altitude than that of the well, so that there is sufficient pressure to force water to flow upwards

artesian well

/ är-tē′zhən /

1. A deep well that passes through impermeable rock or sediment and reaches water that is held under pressure in a confined aquifer. In aquifers of this type, the water in the lower regions is trapped between two layers of impermeable rock and cannot rise to the level of the water table in the upper, unconfined regions. When a well penetrates the confined region, the pressure forces the water to rise within the well until it reaches the elevation of the water table in the unconfined region (a level known as the potentiometric surface).
2. ◆ In a flowing artesian well the water is under enough pressure to rise all the way to the surface without being pumped and must be capped to control the flow.

Word History and Origins

Origin of artesian well¹

First recorded in 1855–60

Word History and Origins

Origin of artesian well¹

C19: from French artésien, from Old French Arteis Artois, old province, where such wells were common

Example Sentences

Water powers the hydroelectric dam, flushes the fish passage, provides drinking water via an on-site filtration system and gushes out of the earth from an 800-foot artesian well to heat Breitenbush’s structures and fill its pools.

From Seattle Times

What is clear, in each case, is that the tears are coming from an extremely deep place, like the purest artesian well water.

From New York Times

The deep pit, dug by the landowner to be an artesian well, had been left uncovered after it failed to strike groundwater, Phop Phra district chief Sanya Phetset told Thairath TV on Tuesday.

From Seattle Times

Dimock resident Erik Roos, who spent years fetching drinking water from an artesian well miles from his house, whose well was fouled with methane, said he was pleased that he would finally be connected to a public water supply.

From Seattle Times

An artesian well, the Oxford springs, discovered in a wheat field near Beverly and Western in 1910, still supplies water to the Beverly Hot Springs spa.

From Los Angeles Times