Well Water Purification: How Much Do You Really Know?
Although almost all homes in the U.S. get treated water from their local water source, more than 45 million of American homes have private water supplies such as lakes, rivers, wells, etc. The responsibility of maintaining their wells and other privately-owned water systems depends mainly on the owner. Actually, there are very few regulations in the country that govern the quality of water from privately-owned well water supplies. Generally, well water should be evaluated and checked for microbiological contamination upon the installation of the well. However, the health departments of some states require microbiological evaluation and testing, especially when there is a change in the property ownership. If the owner wishes not to do it, he may do so; anyhow, there are now well water purification methods that can be done to ensure that only quality and clean water is given by the well water supply.
Recent news from the media about waterborne illnesses and diseases has increased concerns on the quality of drinking water as well as for the need for proper well water purification. The truth is that almost all water sources in the country and around the world is contaminated to a certain degree. Some are contaminated naturally while others are affected by man-made chemicals added to the water through agriculture, industry, poorly-constructed or leaking septic systems, or other ways. Particularly, this is true in shallow water wells. Water from deep and drilled wells is filtered naturally and is relatively free from any biological contamination. However, well water may be contaminated when there is an improper installation of caps, well casings, or when there are situations that allow the surface water to be contaminated.
Treating well water supply through well water purification
It is very important that owners of well water supplies test their water for any contaminants, especially upon purchase of the property. The well water supply must also be regularly checked. You should also check the well water supply if the odour and taste of the water coming from the well has noticeably changed, a building or industry is being built in the area, if you are expecting a new baby in your home, or if you have undertaken any maintenance work in your well.
After doing some tests, if you have found out that contaminants are present in your well water supply, it is important to apply some well water purification methods. Your well water purification depends mainly on the result of the test. The tests may include the following:
- Microbiological testing
- Nitrates/nitrites test
- Hardness test
- pH level test
- Arsenic concentration test
- A BTEX and MTBE analysis
- Radon analysis or test
While there are well water purification methods available, it is still necessary to perform the above mentioned tests to check if your well water purification method is suitable for your needs.