Well water is common throughout the globe. Thousands of gallons are acquired from these underground aquifers daily. And a certain percentage of well water is used for drinking water. Consequently, those people drinking well water are subject to an array of hazards such as biological, chemical and heavy metals. How is that? One would think that water coming from underground sources would be clean natural spring water. That is true to some extent; the water is natural and may be considered spring water, but it may not be clean.
There is an array of environmental conditions to consider regarding underground water. There’s potential contamination generated from farmlands. Additives are added to the soil or crops to aid in the production of crops, such as fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. When water is added to the soil from sprinkler systems or rain, two conditions may occur. First, water captures residual additives, and they are carried through the soil to the aquifer. Some of the additives are diffused throughout the sediment layers before entering the aquifer. Yet, portions of the additives may end up directly in the aquifer. As the additives are added to the soil over the years, the surrounding sediment layers and aquifer may be contaminated. Secondly, as water is added to the soil, any excessive amounts of water that are unable to absorb into the soil simply “runoff”. These runoff waters are typically carried to streams and rivers or are captured in a natural pooling area or reservoir. As the water sits, the additives may leach into the sediment layers to the aquifer resulting in the contamination of the aquifer.
Another area of concern is grazing lands for both domestic and wild animals. Fecal material dropped onto the grounds surface can result into a biohazard leaching through the sediment layers and contaminating the aquifer. An important note, the established well may be miles away from any type of grazing land; however, the potentially contaminated aquifer may be providing water for the already established well. Additionally, aquifers can be affected by a multitude of changes on the grounds surface. For example, domestic animals can move to another grazing area, wild animals can move to another location and the reverse can happen. There can be an increase in domestic and wild animals that can lead to greater amounts of biological hazards introduced into the aquifer.
Another area of consideration is industrial waste that is generated from the production of goods. Granted, there are numerous regulations pertaining to the discharge of hazardous substances onto the ground and/or surface water runoff areas. With that said, not all companies follow the regulations, some companies have accidental releases of hazardous substances into the environment and there are the minor releases that may go undetected. All of these can impact the aquifer.
So, what are you to do to ensure you are drinking clean water from your well? First and foremost, test your well water. Do not assume it’s clean. What tests do you perform? And what to do if your well is contaminated? We will further discuss, stay tuned.