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If your family gets drinking water from your own well, do you know if your water is safe to drink? What health risks could you and your family face? Where can you go for help or advice? This pamphlet helps answer these questions.

It gives you general information about drinking water from home wells (also considered private drinking water sources). It describes types of activities in your area that can create threats to your water supply. It also describes problems to look for and offers maintenance suggestions.

Sources for more information and help are also listed. [Editing for clarity by DF are marked by brackets or italics] Initial Source: EPA 816-K-02-003 January 2002 Edits, content addition, & web page design © 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

How Much Risk [of Water Contamination] Can we Expect?

The risk of having problems depends on how good your well is - how well it was built and located, and how well you maintain it. It also depends on your local environment. That includes the quality of the aquifer from which you draw your water and the human activities going on in your area that can affect your well water. Some questions to consider in protecting your drinking water and maintaining your well are:

• What distance should my well be from sources of human wastes such as septic systems?
• How far should it be from animal feedlots or manure spreading?
• What are the types of soil and underlying rocks? Does water flow easily or collect on the surface?
• How deep must a well be dug to avoid seasonal changes in ground water supply?
• What activities in my area (farming, mining, industry) might affect my well?
• What is the age of my well, its pump, and other parts?
• Is my water distribution system protected from cross connections and backflow problems?

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[For details on procedures for evaluating the risk of well water contamination see these articles which are outside this EPA document:

  WATER TESTING ADVICE
    SHOULD YOU TEST YOUR WATER?
    PUBLIC vs PRIVATE WATER
    WHEN TO TEST
    WATER TEST COSTS
    SPECIAL SITUATION TESTS
  ARSENIC in WATER
  BACTERIA TEST GUIDE
  CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS in WATER
  CHEATING on WATER TESTS
  CHOICES of WATER TESTS
  CORRECTING BAD WATER
  EPA GUIDE to WATER QUALITY
    Ground water & Well Contamination
    Drinking Water from Household Wells
    What Is Ground Water, How Is It Polluted
    Where Do Water Pollutants Come From
    Naturally Occurring Pollution Sources
    Private Well Contaminant Concerns
    Pollution due to Humans
    Level of Risk of Water Contamination
    Six Steps to Well Water Safety
    Protecting Ground Water From Contaminants
    1. How To Spot Well Contamination Problems
    2. Well Water Test Strategy
    Reasons to Test Well Water
    3. Understanding Water] Test Results
    4. Well Construction and Maintenance
    5. Talk With Local Water Experts
    6. Fix Well Water Contamination Problems
    More Information on Well Water
    Well Water Definitions
 FHA WATER TESTS REQUIRED
  LEAD in WATER, ACTION GUIDE
  LEAD POISONING SYMPTOMS
  LEAD TEST VARIATION CAUSES
  ODORS IN WATER
  SEWAGE CONTAMINATION
  TOTAL COLIFORM TESTING
  WATER CONTAMINANT LEVELS
WATER TEST INTERPRETATION
WATER TESTING GUIDE
WATER TREATMENT EQUIPMENT CHOICES
  WATER TREATMENT EQUIPMENT CHOICES
  WATER ODORS, CAUSE CURE
  WATER PUMPS & WELLS
  WATER QUALITY TESTS, CONTAMINANTS, TREATMENT
WATER QUANTITY IMPROVEMENT
WATER QUANTITY USAGE GUIDE
  WATER SOFTENERS
  WELL SHOCKING GUIDE

--DF]

More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs

• Drinking Water testing, contamination, correction - all topics
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• How to Reduce Lead Contamination in Drinking Water: how to test & correction lead in drinking water
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• Extreme Lead Poisoning Symptoms Suggested by Feb 2006 NY Times Article on Kosovo Roma Camps
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