Groundwater Pollution Sources of Drinking Water

Private well water contaminants & purity problems & solutions: if your family gets drinking water from your own well, do you know if your water is safe to drink? What health risks could you and your family face?

Where can you go for help or advice? This expanded version of a U.S. EPA drinking water pamphlet helps answer these questions.

It gives you general information about drinking water from home wells (also considered private drinking water sources).

Expanded & illustrated article about well water testing advice describes types of activities in your area that can create threats to your water supply, how to detect water contaminants or pollutants & how to correct them.

It also describes problems to look for and offers water well construction, testing & maintenance suggestions. Sources for more details are provided as well.

Index to Water Wells & Drinking Water Advice

from the US EPA - expanded data

The original US EPA well water quality assurance document was annotated, edited for clarity, expanded, and illustrated. We also add links to greater detail. As just one example, where the original document noted that the distance from a well to possible sources of contamination are important,

we add WELL CLEARANCE DISTANCES.

Initial document source: EPA 816-K-02-003 January 2002, updated here through December 2025 [1]

• EPA GUIDE to WATER QUALITY - annotated,illustrated & expanded guide to Ground water & Well Contamination - February 2013
• WELL WATER CONTAMINATION: CAUSES, CURES - home
• WATER POLLUTANT SOURCES
• WATER WELL CONTAMINATION HAZARDS
• FLOOD CONTAMINATED WELL RESTORE & PROTECT
• WATER WELL SAFETY & SANITATION, 6 STEPS-EPA
• WELL CONSTRUCTION INFORMATION SOURCES
• WELL & WELL WATER DEFINITIONS

Original source EPA 816-K-02-003 January 2002, expanded through February 2013, © InspectApedia website design & supplementary information on well water contamination.

See also the advice at

• Alabama DEM, GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION [PDF] Alabama Department of Environmental Management, compiled with US EPA
  Excerpt:
  
  Ground water contamination occurs when ground water comes in contact with naturally occurring contaminants or with contaminants introduced into the environment by anthropogenic activities.
  
  Naturally occurring substances found locally in soil and rocks that can affect ground water include lead, iron, manganese, Applied correctly, pesticides and fertilizer have minimal impact on ground water quality. aluminum, selenium, and arsenic, as well as petroleum, microorganisms, and brine (salty water).
  
  Contaminants associated with human activity most commonly include bacteria, petroleum products, natural and synthetic organic compounds, fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, and metals.
  

...

Continue reading at WELL WATER CONTAMINATION: CAUSES, CURES or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• WATER TESTS for CONTAMINANTS - home
• WATER QUALITY TEST CHOICES & WATER TEST FEES - home

Suggested citation for this web page

EPA GUIDE to WATER QUALITY at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to WATER TESTING

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