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Photograph of  a loose, unsanitary well plumbing system exposed to surface water runoffr  © DJ FriedmanSources of Well Water Contamination

What are the main sources of well water contamination.

Where do well water contaminants come from & how do they get into the well. Knowing the answers can help prevent or cure contaminated well water.

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Where Do Ground Water Pollutants & Thus Well Contaminants Come From?

Unidentified chemical drums discovered during a home inspection might indicate an environmental site contamination hazard.Here the EPA (with some added commentary) describes common sources of well contamination. We have added links to more detailed diagnostic articles about individual well water contamination problems.

Article series contents

Sources for more information and help are also listed. [Editing for clarity by DF are marked by brackets or italics] Initial Source: EPA 816-K-02-003 January 2002. Also see How To Spot Well Contamination Problems later in this article series.

Understanding and spotting possible pollution sources is important. It's the first step to safeguard drinking water for you and your family.

Some threats come from nature. Naturally occurring contaminants such as minerals can present a health risk. Other potential sources come from past or present human activity - things that we do, make, and use such as mining, farming and using chemicals. Some of these activities may result in the pollution of the water we drink.

Several sources of pollution are easy to spot by sight, taste, or smell. (See Quick Reference List.), however many serious problems can only be found by testing your water. Knowing the possible threats in your area will help you decide on the kind of tests you need.

Visual Evidence of Water Contamination Problems

Sources of Visible Water Contaminatiom-like scale, stains, or floating dirt/debris

Sources of Water Tastes as Evidence of Water Contamination

Sources of Water Smells that may Indicate Water Contamination

For detailed advice on diagnosing and curing water odors

see WATER ODORS, CAUSE CURE.

Sources of Sulphur or Rotten Egg Smells in Water

Sources of Other Odors in Water

For detailed advice on diagnosing and curing water odors

see WATER ODORS, CAUSE CURE.

Watch out: Many serious problems (bacteria, heavy metals, nitrates, radon, and many chemicals) can only be found by laboratory testing of water.

 

Reader Comments & Q&A

On 2020-02-12 - by (mod) -

Jerry

We need to have an idea about what sort of odor to make even a wild guess at what's wrong. For example, adding chlorine to a well may do nothing if the odor source is sulphur in the water supply, nor if the amount added was insufficient, nor if the contamination is a persistent source.

Have you had your water tested for bacteria?

Is the odor present at both hot and cold water faucets?

See the water supply odor diagnostic steps at

ODORS IN WATER https://inspectapedia.com/water/Water_Odors.php

On 2020-02-12 by jerry

have put in a new water heater, added a inline filter, added clorine to well, but still have a very strong odor in my water. help please

Question: black water coming out of faucets

(Nov 16, 2014) Nancy said:
Last week, my neighbor said he got black water coming out of his faucets, and after running the water for awhile, it cleared back up.

He asked me about my water....that has never happened to mine. I asked another neighbor and he said this has happened to his water once in a blue moon, he runs it awhile and it clears up until the next time, maybe 6 months or more later. There is a gas well 100 feet from his well. All of our wells are within 500 feet of one another and were all drilled in the late 60's, early 70's. What could be causing this?

Reply:

Nancy

Black water, if suddenly coming from a well source, may indicate a cracked well casing or some other leak into the well or well piping system. I've seen this happen to a long-established shallow well when there was nearby road blasting.

Black water can also be actually caused by sulphur, sediment, or other external problems.

I suggest that in that case one should collect a sterile bottle sample and take it to a local water testing lab for analysis. The findings can help direct both further investigation, and if needed, water filtration and treatment.

Question:

(Apr 2, 2015) Lisa Marie La Framboise said:
Can you tell me why this is ? It just started. We do have melting snow round about now. Please Advise.

Reply:

Lisa I'm sorry but I don't understand the question. Tell me to what "this is" refers and we'll be glad to help.


...

Continue reading at WATER POLLUTION - NATURAL SOURCES or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

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WATER POLLUTANT SOURCES at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.


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