Many people across the Ozarks are dependent on private wells to water their livestock, as well as to supply water for their homes, but is it safe?
Water piped to customers who have service through a municipality or rural water supplier is regularly tested for bacteria, nitrates and other contaminates, but private well owners are not regulated by any government agency.
Cliff Treyens, the National Groundwater Association’s public awareness director, said there are more than 13 million household wells in the United States, making it virtually impossible to enforce any type of regulatory requirements, making the owner of the well responsible for conducting any tests.
“They are basically the manager of their water system and may be overlooking that water testing component,” he said. “But, the good news is, once you understand what it is you need to test for and how to go about getting a test, its an easy thing to do.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that wells be tested for several water quality indicators (WQIs) annually. In most cases, the presence of WQIs is not the cause of sickness, but their presence may indicate the presence of sewage and other disease-causing germs.
Basic well tests test for coliform bacteria, fecal coliform bacteria and pH levels, but that is only the beginning.
“A lot of well owners don’t know the things that they should be testing their well for on a regular basis, and that can even vary, depending on where you live,” Treyens explained. “There are some things that are naturally occurring in the environment; like in the Northeast and the Southwest where arsenic occurs in the geology, which turns up the ground water.”
Treyens added that in some areas of the country there are localized, man-made sources of potential contamination of groundwater, such as industrial spills or run off from manufacturing facilities.
“We advise people to test annually for bacteria and nitrates,” Treyens said. If there is a breach in the well system, or if the well as become dirty overtime, bacteria can proliferate in a well, so that needs to be checked. Nitrates are a by-product of fertilizers, and they can also be in septic and effluent systems, which can also get into the ground water. We say that (bacteria and nitrates) should be checked annually, but we recommend that people check with their local health department to see if there are any local concerns. Those will be things other than bacteria and nitrates.”
Many health departments are able to do water tests, but Treyens said some samples may need to be sent to certified drinking water testing lab.
“Let’s say there is an industrial site that was abandoned and there was some waste leaching into the ground and into the ground water that was of a chemical nature,” Treyens explained. “That might be something the county health department isn’t equipped to test for, but a certified drinking water testing lab would.”
In addition to annual testing, it is recommended by the NGWA that well systems be inspected by a professional.
“Bacteria could be entering a well system through a breach in the well system,” Treynes said. “There are certain sanitary seals in a well system that are designed to keep things, like bacteria, out of the well. You can chlorinate the water, but if there is a way the bacteria is getting into the system, you are only going to have a very temporary fix because more bacteria will get in.
“If you have a positive test for coliform bacteria, then it is worth having a contractor come out and look at your system to make sure everything is OK with the system.”
He added that even wells that have operated without issue for decades can have a problem that raises the bacteria level.
“Certain debris can accumulate in a well and builds up in bottom. That build up of debris can create an environment for bacteria. So, when you chlorinate the well, it will only chlorinate what it comes in contact with, and if the chlorination doesn’t reach the source of the bacteria because of the debris, it would only be a temporary fix.”
When should I test my well?
In addition to annual testing, the CDC and NGWA recommend testing if there is a change in the appearance, taste or odor of water; if a problem occurs with the well, such as a broken well cap, if there has been repairs to your well, or in case of flooding; if there is a history or bacterial contamination; a recent septic malfunction; recurrent incidents of gastrointestinal illness; or if there is an infant living in the home.
“If you notice a change in your water and it just kind of happened, that is a sign that you need to get your well tested,” Treynes said. “Some of the smells and tastes can be attributed to the nature of groundwater and geology.”
He added that in some areas, a “rotten egg” odor can be attributed to hydrogen sulfide, and high iron levels can make water taste a little “off.”
“Those are things that are just going to exist in the water, and they aren’t harmful to humans, but it may be an ascetic thing where you don’t want your laundry to get stained by the iron, or you don’t want that smell,” Treynes said.
Are there safe levels of bacteria and nitrates?
The “perfect” glass of water would have no bacteria and nitrates, but there are some “acceptable” levels, but only in miniscule levels.
“You want a zero or negative test result on bacteria, but what they usually test for first is coliform bacteria, which is harmless, but it is an indicator that conditions in the well as such that it could support harmful bacteria, like E. coli, which can be fatal if there his a high enough concentration.
“With most other things, the EPA has a maximum contaminate level, where they say if you are at or above so many particles per billion, you have a health risk and you need to address that.”
Lead contamination in some parts of the country has also raised a great deal of concern.
“There is a lot of debate about if any level of lead is safe in drinking water,” Treyens said. “It seems like most people are saying that is it best to have none because even at low levels it can be problematic, especially for children. I think the well owner would get conflicting information on that if they were just surfing the web, but I always tell people if they aren’t comfortable with a test, then you need to do whatever it is you need to do to have peace of mind.”
What can you do to protect your well?
Educating ones self on the responsibility of owning a well is perhaps the key in having a safe well.
“If you know the basics, it will help you be a good steward of your well system, and of the groundwater. Part of good well quality is preventative actions,” Treyens said. “If you learn the basics about a well, it will be time well spent.”
