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Water Wells: 10 Safety Do's & Don'ts

Water Wells: 10 Safety Dos & Don’ts

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Modern well drilling methods, professional installation and long-lasting equipment help ensure your water well will provide safe drinking water for you and your family for many years. You can help safeguard your water supply and extend the functional life of your well by following these commonsense practices.

Do     

  1. Conduct routine visual inspections. Examine the well cap, casing, grouting, stub and surrounding ground. Look for signs of damage or deterioration. Clear accumulated debris or encroaching vegetation. Look for signs of insects or vermin, which can indicate the well is damaged and attracting critters. Check backflow devices to make sure they’re functioning properly.
  2. Arrange annual water tests. These tests check for bacterial contaminants and help confirm your water meets basic quality standards.
  3. Have water tested after heavy rains or flooding. Heavy rains and full flood conditions can damage the well cap, casing or grout seal, or overload septic systems which can move high volumes of contaminants and bacteria into the groundwater that feeds your well.
  4. Schedule periodic comprehensive tests. While basic annual tests focus on issues like bacteria levels, comprehensive test panels identify the presence or absence of fluoride, nitrates, sulfates, chloride, heavy metals, trace minerals and similar compounds. Some also test for pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, chemical contaminants and petroleum products, and produce a detailed profile that identifies water pH, relative hardness, salinity and similar factors.
  5. Contact your well driller or installer if you experience problems. If you have problems with the well, pump or system components, get professional assistance.
  6. Situate animal pens or feeding-watering areas with care. Avoid placing them where runoff might drain toward the well, increasing the chances for bacterial and nitrate contamination.

Don’t

  1. Store chemicals, cleaning compounds, solvents, gas or petroleum products near your well or in your well house. An accidental spill could contaminate the well or seep into the groundwater that feeds your well.
  2. Use pesticides, fertilizers or petroleum gas or petroleum products near your well. Keep these and similar compounds a least 100 feet away from the well to avoid contaminating it or the groundwater below.
  3. Neglect your septic system. An overloaded or failing septic system can release contaminants into the ground near your well and into the water that feeds it.
  4. Forget to test fuel tanks for leaks. If you store fuel used for heating, transportation or equipment, test the tanks for leaks at least once a year.

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