Fix unsanitary or contaminated well water: this article gives advice for immediate steps you can take to correct unsanitary or contaminated private well water.
We have edited and expanded original advice on this topic provided by the U.S. EPA.
Our page top photo illustrates a dug well lined with stone set in cement; even with this lining a shallow hand dug well can be very difficult to keep in sanitary condition.
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If you find that your well water is polluted, fix the problem as soon as possible. You may need to disinfect your water have a new well drilled, re plumb or repair your system. Consider hooking into a nearby community water system (if one is available).
If you have a new well drilled or connect to a community water system, the old well must be closed properly. Consult "local experts" for help.
[See these (non-EPA) step by step guides to correcting problems with well water:
The EPA's "disinfect your water" refers not to simply temporary disinfection by "shocking" your well, but more likely to installing equipment to treat the water to assure that it is sanitary.
If there is a persistent source of well contamination which you are not able to eliminate (such as by repairing a groundwater leak into a well casing), then the choices are either drill a new well or treat the existing water supply to remove the contaminant. Also see
You might consider installing a water treatment device to remove impurities. Information about treatment devices can be obtained from the following sources:
There are many home water treatment devices. Different types remove different pollutants or impurities. No one device does it all. Also, you must carefully maintain your home treatment device so your water stays safe. For more information, get a copy of EPA's pamphlet, "Home Water Treatment Units" from the U.S. EPA Resource Center or call the Hotline at (800) 426-4791.
The water pollution and testing material in this article series 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. 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
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Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.
COMMENT:We recently had a well drilled and while drilling the company experienced trouble with the equipment and hydraulic fluid was leaking around the well. Now we ...
(Feb 5, 2012) hkmp50@yahoo.com said:
I reciently had my well pump go bad, and in the process it leaked all the lubricating oil from the pump into the well.
Basicly the bottom of the pump disintegrated, it has been in service since the 70's Is there any way to fix/repair/remove the contaminate? I replaced the pump but smell oil in the water now, is this a health issue I whould worry about?
HKMP
In my OPINION you sure don't want to be drinking oil-contaminated well water. It could take quite some time and waste a lot of water (and contaminate your piping and water tank) to try to flush the oil out just through your new well pump; if you can't get rid of the odor after running water for an hour or so you might try calling a local well driller to see if they have a more powerful pump that can be used to get ahead of the well flow rate into your well - basically pumping the well out completely once or twice.
Check with your local health department and water testing lab to see if they recommend adding a non-toxic (food-grade) oil dispersant that can help remove oil from the well, but
Watch out: common oil dispersants such as Corexit used by the oil industry are themselves highly toxic and should not be inserted into a drinking water source.
See CRUDE OIL & DISPERSANT EXPOSURE
After pump-out is completed, and after you've emptied your water tank and refilled it with clean water, and flushed your system piping, I recommend taking a water sample to your local water test lab to check water potability as well as to check for oil products.
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