Anybody who has visited Iceland can affirm there is a lot of water on Iceland. But how about the potable water supply for our project?
We are taking a 2-path approach to assure enough water for our hotel and geothermal spring operation: drilling a well and taking water from creek that passes our property.
There is no published “typical domestic well yield” specifically for the Hvalfjörður area . However, based on hydrogeologic reports from western Iceland and nearby wells, a reasonable estimate can be made.
Typical production for a domestic or small commercial water well
For a drilled freshwater well in the Hvalfjörður area:
| Use | Typical sustained yield |
|---|---|
| Single house | 0.2–0.8 L/s |
| Farm or guesthouse | 0.5–2 L/s |
| Small commercial facility | 1–5 L/s |
Most domestic systems are designed around 0.3–1 L/s, even if the well is capable of more, because household demand rarely exceeds this.
Why yields are relatively good
Hvalfjörður lies in fractured Tertiary basalt. Groundwater is stored primarily in:
- lava flow contacts
- cooling joints
- tectonic fractures
- occasional sedimentary interbeds
When a borehole intersects productive fractures, yields can increase substantially.
Evidence from nearby wells
Published drilling results in and around Hvalfjörður show:
- A geothermal well at Möðruvellir initially flowed about 7 L/s naturally and was estimated to produce around 20 L/s with pumping. This is a geothermal production well rather than a domestic water well, but it demonstrates that productive fracture zones exist in the area (11 km. away from Hugarró site)
- A recent exploration program near Skarðsheiði (north of Hvalfjörður) reported four drinking-water boreholes with a combined yield of approximately 95 L/s (roughly 24 L/s per well on average). These are municipal supply wells selected after exploration and are not representative of ordinary private wells.
Design perspective
For planning purposes:
- Excellent domestic well: 1–3 L/s
- Average domestic well: 0.5–1 L/s
- Marginal but usable: 0.2–0.5 L/s (often paired with a storage tank)
- Small commercial development (lodges, workshops, small hotels): typically targets 2–5 L/s
Practical conclusion
If you were drilling a normal water well for a house, farm, or small business in Hvalfjörður, I would assume:
- Expected sustained production: 0.5–2 L/s
- Good well: 2–5 L/s
- Exceptional well intersecting major fractures: >10 L/s, though this is uncommon and generally associated with municipal or specially targeted production wells rather than standard domestic wells.