What's in your water?

"Many of us use wells as our water source, which utilize untreated groundwater. Overlying soil acts as a filter for disease causing microorganisms; however, there are several things that can invade this barrier.

Isolated from the environment, groundwater moves slowly and is exposed to contaminants. Inorganic contaminants come from contact with rock strata minerals and environmental contaminants when it meets surface water. Cracks in the well can occur over time, and shifts in the ground caused by certain weather conditions can allow groundwater to seep into the water supply.

Spring water also has its hazards, being subject to environmental, organic, chemical and animal fecal matter pollutants. The probability of contamination is greatest in early spring just after the thaw, after an extended dry spell, following heavy rains or after a long period of nonuse.

Total coliform, fecal coliform and E. coli are all indicators of drinking water quality. Most states and banks require potable water before transfer of title is allowed. By all definitions, a clean bill of health for your water signifies, only, that it is absent of coliform bacteria.

Coliform bacteria are organisms that are present in the environment and in the feces of all warm-blooded animals and humans. What is important to know about coliform is that in most cases, it will not make you ill. It is however, an indicator that the water source has been infiltrated by surface water. If coliform bacteria is present, something else may have entered the drinking water system via the same route that the coliform bacteria did.

Coliform bacteria is found throughout the environment, originating as organisms in soil or vegetation. They live longer than pathogenic disease-causing microbes, so they are able to be cultured in the lab. Therefore, it is important to find the source of contamination so that safe drinking water is restored.

Your first defense against bacterial contamination from surface pollutants is a bug-proof cap to cover the well. Bacteria can reach unhealthy levels when enough cumulative dead bodies and droppings from residing insects fall into well water.

Traditional well caps bolt onto the casing only, allowing critters to nest under the cap itself. However, the bug-proof cap is a three piece airtight fixture consisting of a top, inner rubber gasket and bottom. This is secured to itself, rather than just to the casing. Regardless of what well cap you have, proper monitoring and regular testing (the EPA recommends annually) of your water is essential to ensure clean, safe water. "