Updated 2026-10-23
Can hydrofracking fix a dry or low-yield borehole in bedrock?
Hydrofracking can raise the yield of a weak bedrock well by opening fractures the hole already crosses, but it cannot create water where no water-bearing fracture is nearby, so it rarely rescues a truly dry hole. In WaterLocation projects, new holes sited on a fracture gave 200 to 864 m³ a day in granite, basalt and limestone, for example 10 l/s at 88 m where an older 80 m borehole gave 2 l/s.
What hydrofracking does
A section of the borehole is sealed off with packers and water is pumped in at high pressure. The aim is to open and flush existing cracks around the hole and connect them to more water-bearing fractures nearby. It is a well-rehabilitation technique offered by many drilling contractors; WaterLocation does not perform it.
When it is worth trying, and when not
| Situation | Hydrofracking | New point sited on a fracture |
|---|---|---|
| Bedrock well with some water, yield a bit below need | Reasonable to try first | If the improvement is not enough |
| Hole with no water strike at all | Low odds: nothing to open up | Usually the better bet |
| Need is several times the current yield | Rarely closes a large gap | Usually needed |
| Deep clay over rock, or salty water in the hole | Does not address the cause | Survey first |
Results of hydrofracking vary from site to site; ask the contractor for the expected outcome and what you pay if the yield does not improve.
What a well on the fracture gave instead
| Site | Before | Result | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altmannstein, Germany (limestone) | Needed 10 l/s; an earlier 80 m borehole gave 2 l/s | Water at 88 m, static level 56 m | 10 l/s (864 m³/day) |
| Namibia, Kalahari (dolomite and rock) | Nine wells; one gave water all year but not enough | Two new wells, water at 57 m and 21 m | 100 + 350+ m³/day |
| Mitterfirmiansreut, Germany (granite) | Four empty boreholes up to 118 m | Water at 22 m, 47 m from an empty hole | 200 m³/day |
Figures from WaterLocation project reports.
How to decide
- Get the drilling log and a pumping test of the current well: depth, water strikes, static level, real yield.
- Compare the yield with your daily demand. A small gap may justify hydrofracking; a large gap or a dry hole points to a new point.
- Before paying for more metres or more pressure, survey for water-bearing fractures. The report gives a drilling point, depth and forecast yield, and shows whether the existing hole sits near a fracture at all.
WaterLocation's discovery fee is paid only after a pumping test confirms the water; surveys are quoted per site. See how much a hard-rock borehole can give.
Sources
Questions
Can hydrofracking turn a dry hole into a good well?
Sometimes it connects a hole to a nearby fracture, but with no water strike at all the odds are low. A new point sited on a water-bearing fracture is usually the better use of money.
Is drilling deeper a better option than hydrofracking?
Only if the logs show a water-bearing zone below. Otherwise more metres in the wrong place cost money without water, as with the four empty holes up to 118 m in Bavaria.
Does WaterLocation do hydrofracking?
No. WaterLocation surveys for water-bearing fractures and sets the drilling point, depth and forecast yield; drilling and well work are done by a licensed local contractor.