GroundUnder Mansfield
The ground under Mansfield.
Mansfield sits on glacial ground. Under the topsoil there’s till, the clay-and-stone mix the ice sheets left behind, and in the valleys there’s much better water-bearing sand and gravel. ODNR’s groundwater study of Richland County maps coarse outwash along Rocky Fork from Ontario through Mansfield that can yield 100 to 500 gallons per minute to properly built wells.
Away from the valleys, most home wells finish in bedrock. Around Mansfield that is mostly the interbedded shale, siltstone and fine sandstone of the Mississippian Cuyahoga Group, typically 5 to 25 gallons per minute, and the Cuyahoga gets more shale-rich and lower-yielding toward the north-central part of the county. The Berea Sandstone lies at depth under the northwestern two-thirds of the county, along a line running roughly east and south of Mansfield.
The water
Hard water and iron are the everyday complaints here, with sulfur odor in some wells. Deep wells in the north part of the county can pass through dark Sunbury Shale, which carries pyrite (iron sulfide). A lab test tells you what you’re actually treating before you buy a softener or filter.
Permits
Well permits for Mansfield-area homes go through Richland Public Health, whose Environmental Health division covers private water systems. B&E is registered with the Ohio Department of Health as a private water systems contractor (9999-PWSC-26-000029).
Geology: ODNR, Ground Water Pollution Potential of Richland County (Report 63).
Q&AMansfield questions
Asked around Mansfield.
Do Mansfield homes on city water ever need a well contractor?
Yes, if the property still has an old well. An unused well that isn’t sealed is a direct path for surface water to reach the aquifer, and Ohio requires sealing to be done by a registered contractor under a permit from the local health district.
Many Mansfield-area irrigation systems also run from a separate well or pump.
How deep are wells around Mansfield?
It depends on where you are. Wells in the Rocky Fork valley can finish in sand and gravel; upland wells usually go through the till into Cuyahoga shale and sandstone, and some go deeper to the Berea. The best guide to your property is the well log for your well or your neighbors’ wells in ODNR’s online water well database.
Who issues well permits in Mansfield?
Richland Public Health. Its Environmental Health division handles private water systems, and the work itself has to be done by a contractor registered with the Ohio Department of Health. B&E holds that registration.