I have an old house here in Arizona which was built in the 40's along a riparian stream which has at least a little water year round. The original owner/builders also HAND DUG a 20' deep well, about 50' from the stream (which is not on my property), about 2' wide by 3' long, straight down 20'! It's not cased. In the 20 years I've lived here, it has almost always has water in it, and since water is such a premium here in AZ, I've thought it would be smart to tap into this resource for irrigating our garden and lawn (about 1/4 acre total). I suspect that if the water is pumped out, it would take some number of hours for the well to refill, especially during the drier times of year (i.e. most of the time!). Question is; what type of well pump set up should I go for? If well water level drops to the bottom of the suction pipe, will the pump "know" to wait til the well recharges before continueing pumping? I'd like to be smart about my investment in well equipment, get set up as inexpensively as possible, and have it work as trouble-free as possible too. Your input is truely appreciated!!