Well Water Testing Common Well Water Problems – Based on over 20 Years Experience First Step Water Testing
Posted by Brian on June 5, 2013 · 21 Comments
Common Water Well Owners Problems- The Need for Well Water Testing
This website was development to provide a quick summary and reference related to some of the most common well water problems that are encountered or reported.
Problem 1 – I tested my water and it is Total Coliform Positive and I was told the water is not potable. What do I do? What treatment system do I need? Is my family safe?
Action:
Have a professional or licensed well driller inspect the well and conduct a shock disinfection of the well and distribution system (add a high dose of chlorine to the water, recirculate, and then flush it out – but not into an on-site sewage treatment system. After the well and system have been flushed, the water should be immediately tested for total coliform bacteria.
More Information
Problem 2 – My water is black and sometimes red or orange. What toxic chemical causes this ? Should I be buying bottled water??
Get the water tested – it is most likely iron and manganese. If you have never had the water tested, we would recommend a relatively comprehensive screening water test. The color of the water will depend on the pH and form of the iron and manganese. If the water enters the house clear and becomes discolored with time, the metals are dissolved in the water in a reduced form. If the water enters the home slightly discolored and the color gets darker or deeper, it is probably a combination of reduced (dissolved) and oxidized (particle) form. The solution will depend on the water testing results, but if you have an odor to the water or slime coatings the problem may also be caused by a slime or iron bacteria. Learn More at Iron/Manganese or Slime Bacteria.
Problem 3: My well water gets dirty after it rains and I get intermittent bacterial positive tests.
This could be a problem with the well casing, well construction, pitless adapter, or well cap. The first action may be to inspect the well, change the well cap to a sanitary well cap, and conduct a shock disinfection. If this does not correct the problem, you may need to inspect the well. This would be a camera survey of the wellbore and you would want to check for problems related to the pitless adapter, welds on the casing, integrity of the steel casing, and the presence of cascading or intermittent water bearing zones just below the casing or driveshoe.
Most Significant Problem
Improperly sited and constructed wells create a significant risk. These wells short-circuit the natural flow of freshwater and in many cases can facilitate groundwater contamination. The state of Pennsylvania and others need to create a program to fix private wells that make our Waters vulnerable to contamiantion. For PA – this was not caused by the wellowner, but caused by the lack of vision and proper regulations related to the siting and construction of private wells and permitting private wells to be installed in areas where available data suggested or indicated elevated levels of arsenic, iron, manganese, barium, and even saline water. We need to act as a community to fix this problem and use funding to Fix Poorly Constructed Private Wells – Remember We ALL Live Downstream – Be Part of the Solution – Help Fix and Protect OUR Waters. (Oram, 2013)
Content of this webpage is copyrighted by B.F. Environmental Consultants Inc – Permission was granted to use this information to create this webpage. The source of the information is the Private Well Owner Guide – Well Water Testing.
Website Provided for Educational Purpose.
Carbon County Groundwater Guardians is a 501(c)(3) IRS approved nonprofit, volunteer organization and your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. We are trying to keep Well Water in Pennsylvania the Keystone State Clean, Healthy, and Safe.
Filed under Children's Health, Groundwater, Homeowner, marcellus shale, Water, Water Testing, Well, Well water testing · Tagged with arsenic, barium, dirty well water, discolored well water, groundwater quality, hazardous drinking water, keystone clean well water, Pennsylvania well owner network, private well class, private well owner, saline water, Water Testing, well water quality, well water testing, wellowner education
-
Recent Posts
- Perchlorate EPA Seeks Input on National Primary Drinking Water Regulation Contaminant Perchlorate
- Over Pumping Well Water Causes Problems – Low Yield Well – Can your water well be over-pumped?
- Drinking Water Educational Booklet Private Water Wells and Tapwater Know Your H20
- Alkaline Drinking Water Health Benefits Make Alkaline Water at Home
- Home Appliance Warranty Drinking Water Problems Scale Formation Corrosion
- Waterdrop Drinking Water Treatment Systems Reverse Osmosis System Water Purifier
- Healthy Drinking Water and Healthy Homes – Communicating to the Public: What is a Drinking Water Advisory?
- Healthy Homes, Healthy Communities, and Healthy Drinking Water Initiatives or Programs
- Cordova, Illinois 3M Agrees to EPA Order to Sample and Provide Treatment for PFAS Contamination in Drinking Water
- CCL 5- Chemical Microbiological Contaminants EPA Issues Final List of Contaminants for Potential Regulatory Consideration in Drinking Water, Significantly Increases PFAS Chemicals for Review
- Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly $1 Billion from EPA’s Clean School Bus Program for 389 School Districts
- EPA Enforcement Actions Help Protect Health of Vulnerable Communities from Lead Paint Hazards
Recent Comments
- snehaagarwal on Asbestos in Drinking Water and Environment
- snehaagarwal on EPA Announces Nationwide Action Plan to Address PFAS Water Contamination
- finnbipu63063.blogprodesign.com on EPA Withdraws 2017 Proposed Rule Addressing Health and Groundwater Protection Standards for Uranium In Situ Recovery
- youngVerlene on Hydraulic Fracturing Defined Fracking Words Matter Debate on Energy, Environmental, Humans
- Valarie on Colorado Do Not Drink the Water ! THC Detected ! (Where are the Protesters ?)
Archives
Categories
Tags
arsenic ATSDR bacteria Brian Oram Budget Cabot CDC clean up conservation corrosion Delaware River Basin Commission Dimock drinking water drinking water contamination EPA fracking Gov. Tom Corbett GreenCarbon groundwater Groundwater-Recharge hydraulic fracturing iron JAK2 keystone clean water team Lead LGNC natural gas natural gas development PADEP PA Department of Health Penn State Pennsylvania Pesticides PFOA PFOS Radon Safe Drinking Water Act Safety severance tax water quality Water Testing webinar well water well water testing WorkshopPages