Water Well Safety Tips Every Homeowner Should Know

Having your own private water well offers many perks such as being able to plentiful access on a convenient and cheap method of getting water in your home. Still, being a well owner carries with it the responsibility of protecting your well water. Groundwater supply can easily be contaminated with contaminants seeping in and causing your drinking water quality to deteriorate.

In this article, I will discuss 10 essential well water safety tips that every homeowner should know. Below you will learn how to continue to have clean, contaminant-free well water throughout your home.

1. Regular Testing for Contaminants

One of the key responsibilities of a private well owner is testing the well water regularly for contaminants. Groundwater is susceptible to bacteria, chemicals, heavy metals and other pollutants that can have adverse health effects if consumed.

Due to the serious effects well water pollutants can have on health, homeowners should test their water at least once a year. Annual testing detects contaminants so you can treat the water or install filtration systems if unsafe levels are found.

More frequent testing may be warranted if you notice sudden changes in the taste, odor or appearance of your well water. These aesthetic changes signal potential contamination problems requiring immediate testing and corrective action.

2. Maintain Well Casing and Cap

The well casing and cap form protective barriers that prevent contaminants from infiltrating well water. Homeowners should routinely inspect these structures and repair any damage immediately.

A secure well cap is the first line of defense to keep debris, insects, small animals and other pollutants from entering the well bore.

Inspect the cap every six months for cracks, gaps or wear that could allow contaminants through.

3. Proper Storage and Handling of Hazardous Substances

Many common products used at homes can pollute well water if spilled or leaked near the wellhead. These include fertilizers, pesticides, paints, motor oil, pool chemicals and cleaners containing chlorine or ammonia.

Storing these hazardous household chemicals a safe distance from your well is crucial to prevent contamination.

A 100-foot radius protection zone should surround your wellhead. This buffers your water source from accidental chemical spills or leaks.

4. Install New Wells Properly

Constructing a well improperly can lead to surface water infiltration or cross-contamination between aquifer layers. Homeowners should adhere to local well codes and water conservation regulations when installing a new well.

The ideal well location meets required setback distances from contamination sources, along with adequate spacing from other nearby wells.

Common setback standards include:

• At least 100 feet from sewers, septic tanks or animal enclosures
• No less than 250 feet from manure lagoons or chemical storage facilities
• More than 300 feet from petroleum pipelines or solid waste landfills

5. Annual Well Inspections

While DIY maintenance checks are important, an annual well inspection by a professional provides an in-depth evaluation of your entire well system.

A licensed well contractor will:

• Perform a sanitary survey examining potential contamination risks.
• Measure drawdown rates to check well efficiency and recovery.
• Inspect well components like the pump, controls, piping and storage tank for optimal operation.
• Check for signs of surface water intrusion.
• Identify issues early before they require major repairs.

Routine well inspections are essential even if your well water seems clear and your system appears intact. Small problems can go unnoticed yet have huge impacts on safety and performance.

6. Install a Backflow Prevention Device

Water treatment systems, irrigation lines, heating/cooling systems and other auxiliary equipment hooked up to your well system can actually threaten your water quality.

Chemicals or contaminants from these secondary devices can backflow into your household plumbing and well if certain protective measures are not taken.

Common triggers allowing backward water flow into your primary water supply include:

• Pressure loss – Power outages, pump failures and extreme water demand can all suddenly lower pressure allowing water to flow backwards.
• Cross connections – Hooking up a secondary system without the proper backflow prevention devices enables backflow to occur when pressure drops or reverses.
• Backpressure – Increased pressure from secondary devices can overcome your well system pressure, pushing water backwards.

7. Avoid Over-Pumping Your Well

Removing water from your well faster than the surrounding aquifer can recharge will gradually drain the water table. Over-pumped wells have decreased output and eventually can run dry.

Check your water meter readings monthly to track your household usage. Irrigation systems, leaks and other unnoticed heavy usage often waste huge volumes of water.

Examine your usage patterns:

• Compare monthly totals across seasons to pinpoint spikes. Summer irrigation may be depleting your well.
• Check if total gallons per day seems excessively high. This signals leaks or other invisible losses.
• Note particularly heavy usage days to determine if an appliance or equipment malfunction occurred.

Tracking totals with your meter reveals excessive demand allowing you to pinpoint and reduce waste.

8. Flood-Proof Wellheads

Flooding introduces high contamination risks for water wells. Rainwater and overflow from rivers/streams can transport bacteria, chemicals and other pollutants. Proper well construction provides crucial protection against flooding.

Meet and even exceed code requirements for minimum wellhead height above ground. Floodplain and shoreline wells should have even greater elevation:

• Raise at least 2 feet above the 100-year flood level mark
• Extend at least 5 feet above highest average ground surface within 150 feet

Raised brick, cement or compacted earth pads surrounding the top several feet of the casing prevents surface water from reaching well openings.

9. Stay Informed on Nearby Construction Activity

While convenient, building homes, businesses and infrastructure on properties near your well can disturb groundwater flow patterns. Construction also introduces new potential contamination sources like septic systems, fuel storage and chemical usage that could affect your water quality.

Attend town meetings when new developments are proposed for areas surrounding your well. Voice any concerns about potential impacts to your drinking water source.

Understanding project plans and timelines allows you to closely monitor your well water for any signs of related contamination during construction.

10. Educate Household Members

Every family member must understand the proper well operation, emergency protocols, and contamination risks. Educating children is especially vital for keeping your well water safe in the long term.

• Explain why untreated well water should never be consumed unless tested safe.
• Show everyone the location of well components and electrical shutoffs in case immediate access is needed.
• Demonstrate how to recognize issues like a damaged well cap or flooded wellhead.
• Review emergency response steps if changes in water taste/smell are noticed.

Conclusion

Doing important good maintenance things, testing, and contamination prevention keeps well water safe and for use in the house. This makes it imperative to guard against catastrophic well failures, polluted water that can inflict health hazards, and expensive diagnoses or repairs down the road.

Well ownership offers wonderful benefits, but homeowners must be willing to maintain water quality through proactive safety. Protecting your well also protects property value. In-home sales, savvy buyers take a close look at well records.

Without clean water, your household is at risk. Vehicle these well safety fundamentals ensure day after day reliable, high-quality water for drinking, cooking, bathing, and all other uses.