A water well that is free flowing is referred to as what?

A water well that is free flowing is referred to as an artesian well. This type of well taps into a confined aquifer, where groundwater is under pressure. When a well is drilled into this aquifer, the pressure can cause the water to flow naturally to the surface without the need for pumping. This phenomenon occurs because the water is trapped between layers of impermeable rock, which allows for the build-up of significant pressure.

In practical terms, artesian wells are often characterized by their ability to produce water continuously and can flow without mechanical intervention. This feature makes them particularly valuable in agricultural and municipal water supplies.

The other types of wells—such as hand-dug, shallow, and deep wells—do not have this characteristic of free-flowing water. Hand-dug wells are manually excavated and may not reach an aquifer under pressure. Shallow and deep wells refer more to the depth at which the water is accessed, but they do not imply that water will flow freely to the surface as seen in artesian wells.