Everyone in my town has their own well and the other day I heard some neighbors talking about how a new house got built nearby and they can’t get it sold ‘cuz the well keeps having bacteria problems. How does a well get bacteria in it and should we all be worried?

As far as we know, pretty much every state has a law that says a new private well cannot get used until it passes a series of tests for critical drinking water parameters which definitely includes a coliform bacteria test.

Regarding WHY that well keeps failing the bacteria test, any number of things could result in a well repeatedly failing the bacteria test. Below we will list a few of the more common reasons:

Your well may become contaminated with potentially harmful bacteria in one or more of the following ways:

• At the top of the well the cap/cover may have come loose or become cracked/broken allowing debris, insect and possibly even small vermin to get into the well area.
• A (nasty) source of contamination such as a septic system built too close to the well can definitely introduce bacteria as well as nitrates and other unwanted contaminants. Also, a well not having deep enough casing to bypass the area contaminated by nearby septic tanks/fields may also allow bacteria and other things to enter a well and make it unusable.
• Simple problems with sanitation and cleanliness of the tools and other implements used to drill a well may result in a contaminated drill hole.
• Plumbing components such as piping, pumps and/or pressure systems devices may not have received proper disinfection prior to use, assembly and installation.
• ‘Dug’ wells lined with boards, brick, stone and/or tiles may allow unfiltered water and/or what they call near-surface water to seep through and enter the well area — especially if the ground around the well has settled or shifted in any way.
• If the well casing goes into the ground and the ground/rock around the outside of the casing has cracks/crevices near the surface unfiltered and potentially contaminated surface water may work its way down the outside of the casing and eventually find its way down into the aquifer from which the well draws its water.
• In cases where the well casing does not extend far enough above the surface or the base of a hand pump does not have a watertight seal surface water could easily find its way down into the well.
• The head, or top, of the well lies in a depression or area at a lower height than surrounding areas and surface water has the ability to collect/pool around it.

• Older wells may have succumb to nature and developed corrosion spots where surface water could work its way into the well casing.

Like any other part of your house, your well needs periodic maintenance and upkeep. If you do not know what to look for when evaluating a well’s physical well-being, consult with a certified well technician. You can find information that will help you select the right well water specialist for the job on www.WellOwner.org

What if I want to test my own well water every once in a while?

Nothing wrong with that at all! In fact, most well water experts agree that well owners ought to perform periodic testing on their water — just in case. The kits below will test for a number of different critical well water parameters, but always remember that if you have good reason to suspect contamination of your well… you need to seek professional assistance from a certified drinking water testing laboratory.

When flood waters containing all sorts of debris and disease-causing bacteria pass over the top of a well, often referred to as a well head, it can sometimes make its way down into the well… rendering any water coming out of that well potentially unsafe for human consumption.

For that reason, health and government officials in New Jersey have issued a public statement warning residents whose wells may have gotten contaminated by flood water not to use their well water without first disinfecting it or having the water from their wells tested for bacteria.

Atlantic County residents serviced by well water who live in areas affected by flooding from the March 12-15 storm should be aware that their water supply may have been compromised.

The Atlantic County Division of Public Health recommends that these residents use bottled water for cooking and drinking or disinfect their water prior to consumption, especially if flood waters rose above the well head. Impacted homeowners should continue to disinfect their well water until their well is tested for the presence of bacteria. Testing can be arranged through the Atlantic County Division of Public Health at 609-645-5971 or by a private certified environmental laboratory. ( source )

Although Water Testing Blog believes strongly in residents performing periodic testing on their own wells, we believe MORE that testing for bacteria or other harmful drinking water contaminants after an event such a flood should take place at a certified drinking water laboratory.

We typically suggest National Testing Laboratories as a good choice for a certified drinking water testing lab. Usually after a flood, though, flood-affected residents can arrange for quick, affordable, certified well water testing through their local Board of Health.

At-home drinking water test kits definitely have their place in this world, but one should never use them to give the final word on the safety of water coming out of a well after a natural disaster.

For more information on safety matters to consider after a flood, the Atlantic County Government has posted a series of informative brochures that you may find useful:

• How to Protect Your Home and Family from the Hazards of Contaminated Water
• Instructions for Disinfecting Water
• Precautions When Returning to Your Home
• After a Hurricane or Flood; Cleanup of Flood Water
• Food and Water Safety after a Natural Disaster or Power Outage
• Septic Systems – What to Do after the Flood
• Floods: Sanitation and Hygiene
• Protect Yourself from Animal and Insect-Related Hazards After a Natural Disaster
• Flood Cleanup: Avoiding Indoor Air Quality Problems
• Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water
• Returning to Your Flooded Home
• Water Quality and Health Considerations

GUILFORD — Administrators are promising to soon remedy an elementary school’s well water problem that may have been caused by the area’s past agricultural uses.

Tests of a well providing drinking water to part of Melissa Jones Elementary School, the only school in town using well water, showed a presence of more coliform bacteria, or E. coli, than standards allow. Coliform is a marker for potentially harmful bacteria, Principal Paula McCarthy wrote to parents in an e-mail alert Monday.

The well will be rechlorinated, and any sinks or water fountains currently closed will be open by the time students return from winter break Jan. 4, school board Chairman William Bloss said. So far no children or faculty have reported illnesses caused by drinking the water, he said, and there are other wells bringing clean, safe water to the rest of the building.

“I think the feeling is it’s from the historical agricultural use of the land in that area and fertilizer run-off, and waste run-off, because obviously in a well, you’re working with groundwater and eventually anything in there works way into ground water,” Bloss said.

Sinks and water fountains in the gym and upstairs hall have been closed and instant sanitizer pumps have been used for hand washing in those areas, according to the principal’s message.

Alan Meyers, a doctor and school board member, said more than 90 percent of E. coli strains are safe, but they are markers of contamination.

“It’s a normal constituent of feces. It could come from cows across the street or humans or anywhere,” Meyers said. “So far, no one has gotten sick, so it’s just good that it’s monitored.”

Dangerous strains of E. coli are sometimes found in hamburger meat and can cause serious illness, but that’s not what Melissa Jones Elementary School test results showed, Meyers explained.

Officials say they faced the same situation last spring and a few years ago, which is why the water is tested once per quarter.

“It’s not a question of the system being outdated. It’s because of the type of groundwater in north Guilford,” he said.

The cost to rechlorinate the well is “not prohibitive,” Bloss said, and it’s “very much secondary to making sure we are meeting all guidelines on water quality.”

The system flush will take two weeks and water will be retested, said Cliff Gurnham, director of operations and facilities.

He said school administrators have investigated piping water in and determined it would have to be piped from Abraham Baldwin Middle School, which also once relied on well water. However, high costs have ruled out that option, Gurnham said.

Susan Misur can be reached at “smisur ‘at’ hregister.com”. ( source )

As usual, the virtue of periodic well water testing for critical water parameters (like coliform bacteria) proved its worth. Had school officials not acted proactively, they might have wound up with an entire school full of sick students and faculty.

More importantly, in some people’s minds, the simple and relatively inexpensive quarterly checks for coliform bacteria probablysaved the school district hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees and lawsuits.

So now the question most of us ought to ask ourselves naturally becomes, “When was the last time MY child’s school or daycare had ITS water tested for coliform bacteria?” — especially if the school draws its water from a well and resides in a former or current agricultural/farming region.

• Symptoms shown by a person afflicted by Giardia include, but may not be limited to, diarrhea, fatigue, and cramps.
• Symptoms shown by a person afflicted by Cryptosporidium include, but may not be limited to, diarrhea, nausea and stomach cramps. Additionally, this type of bacteria resists many common disinfection methods quite well.

note: Individuals with suppressed or compromised immune systems may exhibit worse symptoms for longer periods of time than peole with ‘healthy’ or ‘normal’ immune systems.

The best way to guarantee the safety of your water after a flood means getting the water tested by certified water professionals. Home water test kits for bacteria serve as excellent maintenance tools for checking the bacteria levels of well water, but in the event of an actual ‘incident’ such as a flood, which may have caused the contamination of your drinking water, always seek the advice and assistance of Water Quality Experts in your area.

Locating Certified Drinking Water Laboratories

The United States Environmental Protection Agency suggests you contact the State Certification Officer for Drinking Water Laboratories for your state.

Click here to access a list of contact phone numbers, email addresses and physical addresses for State Certification Officer for Drinking Water Laboratories on the United States Environmental Protection Agency web site.