 How to Fix Well Water Contamination Immediately
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Fix unsanitary or contaminated well water: this article gives advice for immediate steps you can take to correct unsanitary or contaminated private well water. We have edited and expanded original advice on this topic provided by the U.S. EPA. Our page top photo illustrates a dug well lined with stone set in cement; even with this lining a shallow hand dug well can be very difficult to keep in sanitary condition.
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How to Fix Well Water Contamination Problems Immediately
If you find that your well water is polluted, fix the problem as soon as possible. You may need to disinfect your water have a new well drilled, re plumb or repair your system. Consider hooking into a nearby community water system (if one is available).
If you have a new well drilled or connect to a community water system, the old well must be closed properly. Consult "local experts" for help.
You might consider installing a water treatment device to remove impurities. Information about treatment devices can be obtained from the following
sources:
[See these (non-EPA) step by step guides to correcting problems with well water:
The EPA's "disinfect your water" refers not to
simply temporary disinfection by "shocking" your well, but more likely to installing equipment to treat the water to assure that it is sanitary.
If there is a persistent source of contamination which you are not able to eliminate (such as by repairing a groundwater leak into a well casing),
then the choices are either drill a new well or treat the existing water supply to remove the contaminant.
Also see
Water Quality Association
P.O. Box 606
4151 Naperville Road
Lisle, IL 60532
www.wqa.org
National Sanitation Foundation
P.O. Box 130140
789 N Dixboro Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48113-0140
(734) 769-8010, (800) NSF-MARK
www.nsf.org
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(to visit in person)
Office of Water Resource Center
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Ariel Rios Building
Washington, DC 20460
Phone: (202) 260-7786
Monday through Friday,
except federal holidays,
8:30AM - 4:30PM ET
E-mail address:
center.water-resource@epa.gov
There are many home water treatment devices. Different types remove different pollutants or impurities. No one device does it all. Also, you must carefully maintain your home treatment device so your water stays safe. For more information, get a copy of EPA's pamphlet, "Home Water Treatment Units" from the U.S. EPA Resource Center or call the Hotline at (800) 426-4791.
The water pollution and testing material in this article series 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
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Technical Reviewers & References
Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
- [1] Drinking Water from Household Wells - PDF, U.S. EPA, Original source last retrieved 2/13/2013, original source: http://www.epa.gov/privatewells/pdfs/household_wells.pdf
- Crystal Clear Supply provides portable ceramic water filter purifiers and portable reverse osmosis water treatment equipment - see http://www.crystalclearsupply.com/category_s/7.htm
- Handbook of Disinfectants and Antiseptics, Joseph M. Ascenzi (Editor), CRC, 1995, ISBN-10: 0824795245 ISBN-13: 978-0824795245 "The evaluation of chemical germicides predates the golden age of microbiology..." -
This well-focused, up-to-date reference details the current medical uses of antiseptics and disinfectants -- particularly in the control of hospital-acquired infections -- presenting methods for evaluating products to obtain regulatory approval and examining chemical, physical, and microbiological properties as well as the toxicology of the most widely used commercial chemicals.
- Principles and Practice of Disinfection, Preservation and Sterilization (Hardcover)
by A. D. Russell (Editor), W. B. Hugo (Editor), G. A. J. Ayliffe (Editor), Blackwell Science, 2004. ISBN-10: 1405101997, ISBN-13: 978-1405101998.
"This superb book is the best of its kind available and one that will undoubtedly be useful, if not essential, to workers in a variety of industries. Thirty-one distinguished specialists deal comprehensively with the subject matter indicated by the title ... The book is produced with care, is very readable with useful selected references at the end of each chapter and an excellent index. It is an essential source book for everyone interested in this field. For pharmacy undergraduates, it will complement the excellent text on pharmaceutical microbiology by two of the present editors."
The Pharmaceutical Journal: "This is an excellent book. It deals comprehensively and authoritatively with its subject with contributions from 31 distinguished specialists. There is a great deal to interest all those involved in hospital infection ... This book is exceptionally well laid out. There are well chosen references for each chapter and an excellent index. It is highly recommended." The Journal of Hospital Infection.: "The editors and authors must be congratulated for this excellent treatise on nonantibiotic antimicrobial measures in hospitals and industry ... The publication is highly recommended to hospital and research personnel, especially to clinical microbiologists, infection-control and environmental-safety specialists, pharmacists, and dieticians."
New England Journal of Medicine: City Hospital, Birmingham, UK. Covers the many methods of the elimination or prevention of microbial growth. Provides an historical overview, descriptions of the types of antimicrobial agents, factors affecting efficacy, evaluation methods, and types of resistance. Features sterilization methods, and more. Previous edition: c1999. DNLM: Sterilization--methods.
- When Technology Fails, Matthew Stein, Chelsea Green Publisher, 2008,493 pages. ISBN-10: 1933392452 ISBN-13: 978-1933392455, "... how to find and sterilize water in the face of utility failure, as well as practical information for dealing with water-quality issues even when the public tap water is still flowing". Mr. Stein's website is www.whentechfails.com/
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