Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Well Water Treatment & Maintenance

Overlying soil acts as a filter, making groundwater naturally clean, free of disease-causing microorganisms and safe for consumption. However, well water contamination can occur due to:

• Improper installation of well casings or caps
• A break in the casing
• Contaminated surface water entering the well
• Wells drilled in fractured bedrock with less than recommended minimum casing length and without an adequate layer of protective soil

With proper siting, location, construction and maintenance of your well the likelihood of contamination is minimal. Still, to prevent illness from consuming well water, you should provide proper maintenance and test regularly for microbial contaminants and possible inorganic and organic chemical contaminants.

If there is any change in water clarity, colour, odour or taste, or if there has been a change in the surrounding land use, well water should be tested immediately.

Well Maintenance Tips

Check well caps regularly to ensure that it is securely in place and watertight. Joints, cracks and connections in the well casing should be sealed and pumps and pipes should also be checked on a regular basis, with ongoing test for changes in the water quality.

Other considerations to decrease contamination risk:

• Surface drainage should be directed away from the well casing
• Surface water should not collect near the well
• Well should not be located downhill form any source of pollution

For more information about microbiological and other water contamination follow the link below.

What's In Your Well?