On this page at RECOMMENDED ARTICLES we provide links to the key starting places to find procedures for well construction: how to drill a well or how to dig a "hand dug" well.

Immediately below we include some well construction details to avoid polluted well water.

Proper well construction and continued maintenance are keys to the safety of your water supply.

Your state water-well contractor licensing agency, local health department, or local water system professional can provide information on well construction.

Photo above: The well [well casing head, which in a modern well should be protruding above ground] should be located so rainwater flows away from it. Rainwater can pick up harmful bacteria and chemicals on the land's surface. If this water pools near your well, it can seep into it, potentially causing health problems.

Well Construction and Maintenance Details to Help Avoid Well Water Contamination

1. Proper Surface Runoff Control Around a Well

Here we show first, three types of well locations and how surface water drains.

A second illustration (below) lists the distances from the well to guard against possible sources of pollution.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Don't assume that if your well is drilled in a spot with good surface drainage away from the casing top (the "good" example at left n the illustration .

Proper drainage at the surface helps assure that contaminated water won't leak into the well from below ground.

2. Proper Distance from Well Contamination Sources

But that's not the whole story.

Underground features such as buried sloping rock can still direct contaminated water into a well below ground, particularly if there are leaks in the casing or if the contaminated water is reaching the aquifer that feeds the well.

To keep your well safe, you must be sure possible sources of contamination are not close by.

Experts suggest the well separation distances [shown in the illustration above] as a minimum for protection - farther is better.

See details of the recommended water well distances from just about every imaginable possible source of well contamination, found at

WELL CLEARANCE DISTANCES

3. Provide a Sanitary Seal Cap on the Well

The graphic [at left] shows a good example of an animal-proof cap or seal and the casing of a well.

Protect your own well area from contaminants.

• Be careful about storage and disposal of household and lawn care chemicals and wastes.
• Good farmers and gardeners minimize the use of fertilizers and pesticides.
• Take steps to reduce erosion and prevent surface water runoff.
• Regularly check underground storage tanks that hold home heating oil, diesel, or gasoline.
• Make sure your well is protected from the wastes of livestock, pets, and wildlife.
• An animal or vermin proof cap prevents rodents from entering your well, being trapped and dying.
• Paving around your well will prevent polluted runoff from seeping into your water supply.

4. Well Maintenance Avoids Drinking Contaminated Water

Many homeowners tend to forget the value of good maintenance until problems reach crisis levels. That can be expensive.

You should test your well water for basic contaminants. If none are found, you may begin to increase the frequency of well water testing from annual to a bit less often.

But if contaminants are found you'll need to find and fix the source of contamination if possible, and if not, then you'll need to add well water treatment such as a disinfection system.

It's better to maintain your well, find problems early, and correct them to protect your well's performance.

Keep up-to-date records of well installation and repairs plus pumping and water tests.

Such records can help spot changes and possible problems with your water system.

If you have problems, ask a local expert to check your well construction and maintenance records. He or she can see if your system is okay or needs work.

See details at DRINKING WATER TESTING

and at FAILED WATER TESTS - WHAT TO DO

Also see FLOOD CONTAMINATED WELL RESTORE & PROTECT where we discuss the importance of protecting a well from polluted groundwater, of protecting groundwater from accidental pollution through open wells, and also how to return a well to operation and use after area flooding.

5. Get Well Inspection, Repair, or Construction Help from an Expert

Water-well drillers and pump-well installers are listed in your local phone directory.

The contractor should be bonded and insured. Make certain your ground water contractor is registered or licensed in your state, if required.

If your state does not have a licensing/registration program contact the National Ground Water Association. or the Well Drillers Association - listed below/.They have a voluntary certification program for contractors. (In fact, some states use the Association's exams as their test for licensing.)

• [US] National Ground Water Association NWGA, National Ground Water Association 601 Dempsey Rd. Westerville, OH 43081 USA, Web: https://www.ngwa.org/ Email: customerservice@ngwa.org Tel: (800) 551-7379 (614) 898-7791
  
  Website excerpts: The National Ground Water Association is a private nonprofit organization representing the professionals involved in the groundwater industry: scientists and engineers, water well drilling contractors and pump installers, and equipment manufacturers and suppliers. 
  
  A water well is any test hole or other excavation into the Earth that is drilled, cored, bored, washed, fractured, driven, dug, jetted, or otherwise constructed when intended use of such excavation is for the location, monitoring, dewatering, observation, diversification, artificial recharge, or acquisition of groundwater or for conducting pumping equipment or aquifer tests. It may be open (uncased and unscreened) or a portion may be cased or screened.
  
  The association provides these Best Suggested Water Well Practices
  
  

  BSPs already published (board-approval date noted in parentheses)

  Watch out: while the NWGA documents below are free to members they are remarkably expensive for non members - every one of the NWGA articles below is priced at $150.00 U.S. for non-members! As a no-cost alternative, live links we provide below are to free articles and PDF downloads from other expert sources - Ed.
  
  See WATER TESTS for CONTAMINANTS - home as well as the water contaminant topics below.

  • Best Suggested Practices for Aquifer Storage and Recovery (7-16-2014)
  • Managing a Flowing Water Well (2-20-2010; references updated 9-16-2010)
  • Reduce and Mitigate Problematic Concentrations of Methane in Residential Water Well Systems (8-21-2013)
    
    See METHANE GAS SOURCES
  • Reducing Problematic Concentrations of Arsenic in Residential Water Well Systems (5-19-2016)
    
    See ARSENIC in DRINKING WATER
  • Reducing Problematic Concentrations of Boron in Residential Water Well Systems (5-15-2019)
  • Reducing Problematic Concentrations of Fluoride​ in Residential Water Well Systems​ (9-18-2013)
  • Reducing Problematic Concentrations of Hydrogen Sulfide in Residential Water Well Systems (8-21-2013
    
    See WATER ODOR DIAGNOSIS - SULPHUR
  • Reducing Problematic Concentrations of Iron and Manganese in Residential Water Well Systems (9-18-2013)
    
    See WATER FILTERS - SEDIMENT & IRON 
    
    See WATER TREATMENT EQUIPMENT CHOICES other water treatment options besides filters.
  • Reducing Problematic Concentrations of Lead in Residential Water Well Systems (6-15-2016)
    
    See LEAD IN DRINKING WATER, HOW to REDUCE
  • Reducing Problematic Concentrations of Microorganisms in Residential Water Well Systems (9-18-2013)
    
    See BACTERIA LEVELS in WATER, INTERPRETATION
    
    See COLIFORM STANDARDS for DRINKING WATER
    
    See WELL CHLORINATION SHOCKING PROCEDURE 
    
  • Reducing Problematic Concentrations of Nitrates in Residential Water Well Systems (9-18-2013)
    
    See SEPTIC SYSTEM NITROGEN HARM [PDF] - Nitrogen Removal Fact Sheet [PDF] Washington State DOH, Nitrogen Removal Fact Sheet - original source www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/4450/337-142-Nitrogen-Removal-from-OSS-FactSheet.pdf
  • Reducing Problematic Concentrations of Perchlorate in Residential Water Well Systems (8-21-2013)
  • Reducing Problematic Concentrations of Radon in Residential Water Well Systems (9-18-2013)
    
    See RADON IN WATER
  • Reducing Problematic Concentrations of Strontium in Residential Water Well Systems (9-18-2013)
  • Reducing Problematic Concentrations of Uranium in Residential Water Well Systems (3-19-2014)
  • Residential Water Well Disinfection Following a Flood Event: Procedures for Water Well System Professionals (5-15-19)
    
    or see our free page: FLOOD CONTAMINATED WELL RESTORE & PROTECT
  • Residential Well Cleaning (2-18-2015)
    
    See WELL CLEANING PROCEDURES
  • Water Well Systems for Fire Protection Services for Stand-Alone Housing Units of Four or Fewer (2-19-2014)
  • Water Well Systems Inspection (2-17-2016)
    
    See WELLS CISTERNS & SPRINGS - home 
• [US] Well Drillers Association - Web: https://www.welldrillers.org/ Email: secretary@welldrillers.org
• Harter, Thomas, WATER WELL DESIGN and CONSTRUCTION [PDF] (2003) University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, UC Davis,

There is no cost for mailing or faxing the list to you.

See details at CONSULT LOCAL WELL EXPERTS

 

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This text describes types of activities in your area that can create threats to your water supply. It also describes problems to look for and offers maintenance suggestions.

Initial Source: EPA 816-K-02-003 January 2002. Edits, content addition, & web page design

Editing and expansion for clarity have been done by InspectApedia.com.

...

Continue reading at SIX STEPS to WELL WATER SAFETY or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• CHLORINATION WELL SHOCKING PROCEDURE
• DRILLED WELLS, STEEL CASINGS
• DRIVEN POINT WELLS
• HAND DUG WELL PROCEDURE - home
• SPRINGS as WATER SUPPLY
• WATER TESTS for CONTAMINANTS - home
• WATER WELL CONTAMINATION HAZARDS
• WELL CAPS & COVERS
• WELL CASING LEAK REPAIRS
• WELL CLEANING PROCEDURES
• WELL CLEARANCE DISTANCES
• WELL CONSTRUCTION INFORMATION SOURCES
• WELL CONSTRUCTION & MAINTENANCE
• WELL DEPTH, HOW TO MEASURE
• WELL FLOW RATE
• WELL LIFE EXPECTANCY
• WELL LOCATION, HOW TO FIND
• WELL PIPING FOOT VALVES
• WELLS CISTERNS & SPRINGS - home

Suggested citation for this web page

WELL CONSTRUCTION & MAINTENANCE 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 SUPPLY, PUMPS TANKS WELLS & SPRINGS

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