Questions & answers spring water supply, use, safety.

This article series describes using springs for drinking water and explains issues with spring water sanitation.

Springs as a Water Supply Q&A

These questions and answers about water springs or springwater use, sanitation, safety were posted originally at SPRINGS as WATER SUPPLY - please check out the advice given there.

On 2018-12-01 by (mod) - bacteria would not be the only concern in Spring Water

Sarah

I'm glad you find the material useful as we work hard on it.

It's not clear from your note but I hope you understand the bacteria would not be the only concern in Spring Water.

Anything that's on the ground surface that can drain into the spring or its water source, such as fertilizers or pesticides could be found in the water.

So you may want to have some more comprehensive testing performed.

Talk to your water test lab about what test you should choose based on what you know about your property and common contaminants in the area.

On 2018-11-30 by Sarah

We have had good luck by getting our water tested by several licensed water treatment companies.

After determining the spring water is acidic, we installed an acid neutralizer, and UV system to kill bacteria, and two large filters. The two cisterns/springboxes in the woods had several frogs, a tree root, and an old bleach bottle from a previous owners attempt at "shocking" so we knew we needed to do something as we have young children.

The water tastes better now and is more clear. Farm is from early 1800s, and the spring appears to be coming from the base of a tree (no immortality noted like Tuck Everlasting). This article is helpful as there's not much info on springs. Thanks!

On 2018-11-24 by (mod) - abandoned basement cister

Mark:

help me to understand the concern. For a basement cistern not in use, leaving an old pipe there would be harmless as long as it's not connected to the presently-operating water supply system.

Also: please use the Add Image button to show us some photos of the cistern and the situation.

Details are at BASEMENT CISTERNS

On 2018-11-24 by Mark bowen

Old fashioned water box in dirt basement what to do with old water pipe? Built in 1899..

On 2018-08-22 by (mod) - How long after your spring starts to "dry" does it take to get replenished by rain?

Alison,

I doubt that there is a precise, scholarly-researched answer to your very good question.

But in general I would expect spring-water levels to improve 24 hours after a heavy rainfall.

Of course there are many variables that would change that answer:

The amount of rainfall and the time period over which it occurred

The preceding weather, length of dry spell, and resulting soil conditions - a heavy rain on dry hard-packed soil runs off faster than a slow rain on more-porous soil that will deliver more water into the ground

The spring's actual water source and its distance and depth from the spring itself

The area of rainfall vs. the area of soil feeding groundwater into the spring's source - if any

Soil properties, including porosity

Area drainage around the spring

Underlying geology: presence of and impact of rock, sloped rock, limestone, underground water passages - karst

Effects of local water wells, well depth, well water pumping and removal from the aquifer. For example in areas of Mexico in the last decade we have seen the purchase of small scale farms by large agri-businesses who then drill wells and pump so much water to irrigate the new more-commercial crops that the water table in some areas of Guanajuato are dropping more than 2 meters per year, leaving remaining small farms and farmers totally arid.

Here is some interesting

Research on the relationship of rainfall to spring water levels around the world

(you don't give a country/city)

• Liu, Zaihua, Qiang Li, Hailong Sun, and Jinliang Wang. "Seasonal, diurnal and storm-scale hydrochemical variations of typical epikarst springs in subtropical karst areas of SW China: soil CO2 and dilution effects." Journal of Hydrology 337, no. 1-2 (2007): 207-223.
• Stahle, David W., and Malcolm K. Cleaveland. "Reconstruction and analysis of spring rainfall over the southeastern US for the past 1000 years." Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 73, no. 12 (1992): 1947-1961.
• Beissinger, Steven R. "Modeling extinction in periodic environments: Everglades water levels and Snail Kite population viability." Ecological Applications 5, no. 3 (1995): 618-631.
• Wantzen, Karl M., Karl-Otto Rothhaupt, Martin Mörtl, Marco Cantonati, G. László, and Philipp Fischer. "Ecological effects of water-level fluctuations in lakes: an urgent issue." Hydrobiologia 613, no. 1 (2008): 1-4.
• Lee, L. J. E., D. S. L. Lawrence, and M. Price. "Analysis of water-level response to rainfall and implications for recharge pathways in the Chalk aquifer, SE England." Journal of hydrology 330, no. 3-4 (2006): 604-620
  
  Abstract:
  Water table response to rainfall was investigated at six sites in the Upper, Middle and Lower Chalk of southern England. Daily time series of rainfall and borehole water level were cross-correlated to investigate seasonal variations in groundwater-level response times, based on periods of 3-month duration.
  
  The time lags (in days) yielding significant correlations were compared with the average unsaturated zone thickness during each 3-month period. In general, for cases when the unsaturated zone was greater than 18 m thick, the time lag for a significant water-level response increased rapidly once the depth to the water table exceeded a critical value, which varied from site to site.
  
  For shallower water tables, a linear relationship between the depth to the water table and the water-level response time was evident. The observed variations in response time can only be partially accounted for using a diffusive model for propagation through the unsaturated matrix, suggesting that some fissure flow was occurring.
  
  The majority of rapid responses were observed during the winter/spring recharge period, when the unsaturated zone is thinnest and the unsaturated zone moisture content is highest, and were more likely to occur when the rainfall intensity exceeded 5 mm/day. At some sites, a very rapid response within 24 h of rainfall was observed in addition to the longer term responses even when the unsaturated zone was up to 64 m thick.
  
  This response was generally associated with the autumn period. The results of the cross-correlation analysis provide statistical support for the presence of fissure flow and for the contribution of multiple pathways through the unsaturated zone to groundwater recharge.
• Greb, B. W., D. E. Smika, and A. L. Black. "Effect of Straw Mulch Rates on Soil Water Storage during Summer Fallow in the Great Plains 1." Soil Science Society of America Journal 31, no. 4 (1967): 556-559.
  
  

On 2018-08-22 by Alison

How long after your spring starts to "dry" does it take to get replenished by rain?

On 2017-05-09 by (mod) - To assure safe drinking water from a spring

Darrell

To assure safe drinking water from a spring whose water quality is unknown or that varies, have the water tested to identify other common contaminants, then consider a disinfection system, perhaps UV + filtration, or reverse osmosis just to treat drinking water.

On 2017-05-09 by Darrell

how to put into place a safe device for spring water into house for supply the house hold

On 2017-04-08 by (mod) -

Jon

Take a look at your spring and its protective enclosure or spring house or spring box - it may need repair or replacement.

See SPRING BOX BUILD, REPAIR found by using the search box just above to look for "spring box construction"

On 2017-04-07 by Jon thobro

WE HAVE A SPRING BUILT IN THE SIDE OF MOUNTAIN. IT IS ABOUT 30 YARDS ELEVATED behind my housewith a large holding tank with a pressure pump.

The pipe that goes into the back of tank. Lately i have been getting dirt in the tank. What. Any ideas!

On 2017-01-23 by Tricia k

We share a cistern with another home on our street in Vermont. Both of our homes are 2nd homes. Our neighbors had a very old toilet that apparently ran continuously for a week and drained our spring's cistern dry. It has yet to recover. I. Wondering if it could be struggling to refill because the temps have been below freezing.

Is there anything that can be done to assist in its recovery?

This has been an active spring for over 50 years supplying these two houses as well as a third full timer ( they dug a well for their water after a drought 3 + years ago ) the spring bounced back from the summer drought and has been fine till now. Any suggestions appreciated. Thanks

On 2016-11-28 by Charmaine. - spring water on a remote island

We have a seep hole on our land in the country area and this is dating back to the 1800's and maybe even before that, there was a family who lived on this land and used the water for everything including cooking and drinking and they are all still living.

I am living on a remote Island and at the moment we do not have any rain due to a hot and dry winter yet we are still having water running down a high hill of rocks and trees and shrubs covering the area where the water is running from and we cannot see it so we dare disturb anything for fear of contamination to the water.

We were wondering just how safe could this water be to drink, having asked that we have New Zealand flax growing all around the hills and also with this comes rats.

we have been baiting away from the water so that we can keep the area clean, but, just how clean. We were thinking of testing the water to find out how clean it is and the contents of minerals present

. Please do help and let me know where can I get a good water testing kit or how can we improve the water and by the water can this water be boiled for teas?

On 2016-04-26 by Chris - spring water in New Zealand

My spring dates back to at least the early 1900's and all that I know about it, is that it consists of a 2 inch iron pipe coming out of decomposing granite rock, at the base of a steep dry gulch (we are in high desert).

We use it for irrigation and fire protection, with a underground plastic tank (1700 gallons) that we installed. At one time the spring fed into a underground metal tank that had collapsed.

I would love to solve the mystery of how it was constructed. Was there horizontal drilling back in the early part of the last century?

Would they have followed a natural artesian spring, with either percussion or drilling? for 23 years the spring has flowed at 1.5 gallons a minute, but with a very wet winter the spring now runs at 6.5 gallons a minute.

I think it may have unblocked itself, as I am told that in the seventies, this is what it flowed at. I am planning at some point to jet it with a drain clearing power nozzle , that both jets forward and backwards

While in wetter climes a spring may not be much of a mystery, but in a dry area like ours, the geology that would steer water out one pocket like this, is quite extraordinary, and the technology, know how, and effort to catch water in what was such a rural area at the time, quite remarkable.

On 2015-10-06 by janet

We found a nearby spring. Water tastes great - looks clean and pure. Are told that there is a sewer system that is built nearby and water may be contaminated. How do we find out?

...

Continue reading at SPRINGS as WATER SUPPLY - topic home, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Articles on Spring Water

• BACTERIA LEVELS in WATER, INTERPRETATION
• SPRINGS as WATER SUPPLY
• SPRING BOX CONSTRUCTION
• SPRING BOX REPAIR
• WATER TREATMENT EQUIPMENT CHOICES - home
• WELLS CISTERNS & SPRINGS - home

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