Test well water to insure it's safe to drink, use

Clean drinking water is a top priority for families. But homeowners who rely solely on well water can be open to certain risks.

If your water is provided by a city or county source, it isn’t necessary to have it tested unless an in-house contamination is suspected. Public and municipal water supplies are routinely tested and must meet Environmental Protection Agency standards.

Homeowner's responsibility

Well water can become contaminated from various sources and can make homeowners sick. Since there are no federal or state monitoring regulations for private wells, it is the homeowner’s responsibility to make sure their well water is safe to drink.

Well water may not be safe to drink if:

You have frequent and unexplained illnesses in your household.
Your neighbors find toxic chemicals in their well water.
You are concerned about the lead pipes or soldering in your home.
You detect a difference in the taste, smell or color of the water.
You are buying a new home with a well that has been out of use.
It comes from an improperly sealed or unprotected well, spring or cistern.
You spill fertilizers, pesticides, oil, gasoline or other toxic substances on the ground in or near the well.

Water isn't just for drinking

Poor water quality not only affects drinking water. It can also affect a variety of household functions. Contaminated water used for cooking may affect your health, while an excess of certain minerals can hamper cleaning tasks in laundry or bathroom.

Unfortunately, no single test can provide information on all possible contaminants.

Bacteriological tests determine if water is free of disease-causing bacteria. But there are many types of tests that cover a variety of bacteria. The most common bacteriological test checks for E. coli and total coliform bacteria, which can come from fecal contamination.

Mineral tests can determine if the mineral content is high enough to affect either health or the water’s aesthetic or cleaning capacities. This test often pinpoints calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper and zinc. An abundance of these minerals can cause hard water, plumbing and laundry stains or bad odors.

Pesticide and chemical tests are generally performed only if there is reason to believe a specific contaminant has entered the water system, such as pesticides.

Inspect regularly

It is important to regularly inspect your well for sources of contamination.

Other potential problems can exist with the slab, the well screen, the building covering the well or landscaping. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension offers well assessment through the HOME*A*SYST program. These self-assessments determine the risks associated with your well.

If you suspect a problem with your well water, contact a licensed well driller to inspect the well and have it tested for bacteria. This test should be done at least once a year, especially after well water disinfections.

Have water tested

Well testing can be done through local UGA Extension offices. Water samples are tested through the UGA Agricultural and Environmental Services Laboratory in Athens.

A basic test, which tests for pH, hardness and more than 15 minerals, is $15. An expanded water test, which tests for minerals, soluble salts and alkalinity, is $50.

Contact your UGA Extension office at 1-800-ASK-UGA1 for information on troubleshooting water quality issues or testing your well water for bacteria.

Contact your county health department for information on how to take proper care of your septic system. Septic system problems can affect well water quality.

By Paul Pugliese
University of Georgia

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Prepare for Rising Water

Precautions taken at the first sign of rising water can help save lives and help minimize damage during a flood. Typically, your standard homeowners insurance policy will not cover flood damage, though federal flood insurance is available through most insurance agencies, if your community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program. If you have flood insurance, your agent will advise you how to file a claim.

Whether you have flood insurance or not, Allstate recommends you take the following steps as soon as a flood watch is issued, or news of rising water hits, which may prevent thousands of dollars in unnecessary damage.

-- Keep informed by listening to a battery-operated radio. That way, you
can track the storm or follow the progress of rising water and make a
better decision about any further action that you should take,
including the possibility of evacuating your home.

-- Fill bathtubs, sinks and containers with clean water so you will have
a ready supply in case the community's water supply becomes
contaminated.

-- Move outdoor possessions indoors, such as patio furniture, chairs and
bicycles.

-- Elevate valuable furnishings and possessions from basements or first
floors to upper floors or move them away to higher ground if you have
time.

-- If advised by local authorities, shut off all utilities including gas,
electricity and water.

-- Prepare to evacuate by gathering your emergency supplies. Don't forget
flashlights and extra batteries, essential medicines, cash, credit
cards, food, water and a battery-operated radio with extra batteries.
If you have pets, make sure they have an adequate supply of food and
water, in a safe place, on an upper floor, or prepare to take the pets
and such provisions with you. Do not leave pets chained or fenced
outside.

-- Once rising waters reach your home, school or business, your first
priority is occupant safety. If you're advised to leave, do so
immediately and follow the evacuation instructions given. Travel to
higher ground by whatever means is available and stay there. The
sooner you leave the better your chances of avoiding flooded,
congested roads.

-- Do not attempt to drive through flooded roads. Turn around and go
another way. If your car stalls, leave it immediately and walk to
higher ground. More people drown in their cars than anywhere else
during floods.

-- If avoidable, do not attempt to walk through floodwater. Drowning is
the top cause of death during floods, in many cases because people
underestimate the power of even a small amount of water. A mere six
inches of quickly flowing water can knock you down. In areas covered
by standing water, use a long pole or stick to make sure the ground is
firm. Be especially cautious with children.


Information on the National Flood Insurance Program can be found at http://www.fema.gov/business/nfip/.

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Well owners responsible for their water safety

When Frank Hancock was called to the house of a mother with two children sickened by E. coli bacteria, he discovered that the water from their well was the source. He found other wells in the county with problems, too.

“I don’t think our experience is different than any other county,” said Hancock, a University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agent in Henry County. “People are not maintaining their wells. They don’t think about where their water is coming from.”

Most people don’t know that they must maintain their wells, he said.

“If the county water supply has a problem, there are probably 100 people working on it,” he said. “If your well has a problem and you aren’t working on it, no one is.”

To get the word out in his county, Hancock organized a well water maintenance seminar.

“We wanted to let people know the risks of not taking care of their well,” he said, “and tell them, 'this is your responsibility.'”

“You will find low levels of bacteria in most wells,” said Parshall Bush, a residue chemist with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “There are different levels of contamination.”

Since 2003, 10 percent of bored wells tested at the UGA Agricultural and Environmental Services Laboratory contain E. coli. More than half failed to meet Environmental Protection Agency municipal drinking water standards. One out of three showed bacteria levels high enough to cause illness. Most water samples sent to the lab come from north Georgia.

Drilled wells, typically deeper than 100 feet, are less likely to be contaminated by bacteria. Wells less than 60 feet deep are more likely than deeper wells to be contaminated. Soil above the water table doesn’t filter enough bacteria from shallow groundwater.

If a septic system is too close to the well or not working properly, Bush said, it can be the bacteria source.

“Contamination can occur if the well was improperly constructed or if the well is located in a depression that collects surface runoff,” Bush said.

The UGA well-cam was used to checkout problem wells in Henry County.

“We saw cracks in well liners, tree roots so numerous in wells that the camera couldn’t pass by, wells with spider webs down to the 14-foot level,” Hancock said. “We also saw well houses totally contaminated with gas, pesticides, fertilizer and rats.”

Nitrate, lead and copper are the primary contaminates found in Georgia well water, said Bush.

“Nitrate contamination is the result of fertilizer application or animal operations and copper and lead can be attributed to corrosive pipes.”

All pesticides and herbicides should be kept away from wells and other sources of drinking water, he said.

“We always say, ‘If you don’t want to drink it, keep it away from the well,’” Bush said.

Abandoned wells should be filled in.

Well testing can be done through local UGA Extension offices. A bacterial test is available for $35. An expanded water test, which tests for minerals, soluble salts and alkalinity, is $45. Call 1-800-ASK-UGA1 for more information.

Once a water sample is tested, the well owner will get a report showing results that are above EPA's primary and secondary maximum levels. If a water sample tests positive for bacteria, a chlorination treatment is recommended.

by April Sorrow
University of Georgia

April Sorrow is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
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