Well Water: The Hidden Problem

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Article Title:

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Well Water: The Hidden Problem

Article Description:

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The traditional rural population within the United States has

changed significantly with the emergence of urban centers in the

past 50 years. Although this development has provided for other

sources of water, there are many areas in the country that still

rely on wells and ground water for drinking. Recent EPA estimates

assert that over 15% of the population still uses well water for

drinking, washing, crop support and other general purposes; close

to 45 million Americans depend on well water for their basic

necessities in life.

Additional Article Information:

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1760 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line

Distribution Date and Time: 2007-04-19 10:36:00

Written By: Marcus Stout

Copyright: 2007

Contact Email: mailto:marcus.stout@...

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Well Water: The Hidden Problem

Copyright © 2007 Marcus Stout

Element H2O

http://www.elementh2o.com

Background:

The traditional rural population within the United States has

changed significantly with the emergence of urban centers in the

past 50 years. Although this development has provided for other

sources of water, there are many areas in the country that still

rely on wells and ground water for drinking. Recent EPA estimates

assert that over 15% of the population still uses well water for

drinking, washing, crop support and other general purposes; close

to 45 million Americans depend on well water for their basic

necessities in life.

Well water is continually under the threat of contamination from

a number of sources however, and the burden of testing the ground

water is placed upon individual landowners rather than

governmental agencies. As a result, pure drinking water is

depleting in rural and suburban America because testing by the

individual landowner is not required. This, in turn, will

eventually become a considerable problem.

The Problem:

Unlike municipal and bottled water sources, drinking water from

wells is not regulated by any governmental bodies including the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Because each well is its

own source of water, effective regulation of millions of wells

clearly proves beyond the scope and power of governmental

regulatory authorities.

In addition, well water is subject to contamination from a number

of sources. The risk of significant health problems depends on a

number of factors including:

* How the well was constructed

* The location of the well on the property

* Local environmental factors

* The condition of the aquifer that supplies the well

* Human, animal and industrial activities in proximity to the

well

What Exactly is Well Water?

Well water or ground water is formed as a result of rain and snow

seeping into the ground and filling the space between rocks and

soil in what is known as an " aquifer. " The bulk of the nation's

drinking water comes from ground water aquifers although the

portion that sources municipal water supplies as tap water is

subject to quality standards.

Clean drinking water is necessary for a healthy life and

contamination of ground water poses a substantial threat to

health in rural and suburban America. The actual well drillers

and installers are subject to state regulations but the quality

of the water output is not regulated and remains the

responsibility of the well owner. Well water significantly varies

in quality from place to place throughout the country. Depth of

the water table and the quality and quantity of replenishment

sources are also considerations.

The burden of maintaining safe drinking water from wells is

directly placed on the homeowner; the testing is at best a

cumbersome process. Simple tests are not adequate to identify all

contamination sources and expensive laboratory testing is often

required. Repeated testing is alsorequired to ensure that varying

conditions do not introduce new contaminants.

Rural and Suburban:

Well water contamination is not limited to rural farms. As

population pressure is intensified in urban area suburbs, housing

developments are increasingly required to use well water to meet

their water needs. This is because individual homes are being

built faster than municipal water utilities can expand and

homeowners are forced to use existing wells. The percentage of

the population relying on ground water through wells can be

expected to drastically increase.

Sources of Well Water Contaminants:

Well water contamination generally comes from three sources:

* Natural impurities or contaminants:

As water moves through the ground it picks up elements that occur

naturally like magnesium, calcium, chlorides and often more

dangerous dissolved elements like arsenic, boron, selenium and

radon. This is particularly problematic during times of

flooding.

* Pollution from human activities:

- Improper use of fertilizers, animal manure, pesticides and

herbicides

- Landfills and waste dumps

- Heavy metals from mining and construction activities

- Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO's)

- Faulty septic systems located near the well head

- Underground storage tanks

- Improper discharge from storm drains

- Chemical spills and improper waste disposal

* Pressure from suburban growth that exceeds municipal water

capacity and reliance on well water without safety standards.

The list of possible contaminants and sources of contaminants is

large and on the rise, which puts well water at an increasingly

high risk. EPA sources estimate that contamination can be found

in all 50 states and the incidences of contamination are

increasing as the suburbs grow and overpopulation encroaches on

rural wells.

* Types of Human Contaminants:

Natural impurities and contaminants, which, in general, are

widely known and still pose a dangerous hazard to drinking water,

are not as critical as contamination from human activity.

There is pressure on the nation's water supply as more people

move to urban areas and industry and business continue to

contaminate ground water. The sources of pollutants, as listed

below, are understood but not regulated by local, state or

federal government agencies:

* Bacteria and nitrates- These contaminants are often found in

human wastes that contaminate due to poor location of septic

tanks, local landfills and garbage dumps near wells that produce

drinking water. Children, adults with damaged autoimmune systems,

cancer patients and the elderly are at risk.

* Animal waste and manure – Pathogens from animal wastes in

feeding operations and large farms have a particularly negative

effect on ground water.

* Chemicals used topromote growth of crops and control insect

damage- Fertilizers and pesticides used on farms, golf courses

and suburban lawns and gardens have a long lasting negative

impact on ground water.

* Industrial products and wastes – Chemicals used in industrial

and business processes are increasingly becoming major pollutants

for nearby wells. This problem extends to old and leaking storage

tanks on farmland converted to suburban housing developments

still using wells for drinking water.

* Household wastes – In addition to faulty septic tanks,

household wastes from detergents, cleaning solvents, motor oil,

paints and thinners all negatively affect the ground water supply

of drinking water.

Flooding and Well Water:

While not pervasive in all parts of the country, flooding occurs

regularly and affects large areas and parts of the population.

The impact of flooding from rivers and hurricanes can cause

extensive and long term negative effects on the drinking water

from wells.

Because of the extensive flood areas and the speed and direction

of ground water flow, water wells are often adversely affected

for many months after the initial flood. Wells can become

contaminated with bacteria or other pollutants. In addition,

waste water from malfunctioning septic tanks or chemicals seeping

into the ground can contaminate the ground water even after the

water was tested and found to be safe. Long range precautions are

necessary, including repeated testing, to protect the safety of

drinking well water after floods.

Well Water and MTBE:

MTBE (methyl tertiary-butyl ether) is an additive to gasoline and

fuel oil that replaces lead for better performance. It is easily

absorbed in ground spills and enters ground water through leaks

in faulty underground storage tanks. MTBE moves quickly through

the soil and dissolves easily into water; MTBE is not a localized

phenomenon. Ground water in 24 states has been found to contain

high concentrations of MBTE.

MTBE contamination is serious and dangerous. Even a minor spill

of gasoline containing small amounts of MTBE can contaminate

significant ground water and drinking water wells.

A number of states have banned the use of MTBE and other states

are reviewing the problem. Significant contamination has

occurred however to the point that, even if MTBE was completely

banned, it would take several years to free the ground water

environment from the effects of the chemical.

Conditions and Tests:

The list of contaminants that require testing is extensive and

burdensome. Any one of a number of conditions can negatively

affect the purity of the drinking water from wells. Furthermore,

testing does not stop with the initial test and periodic tests

must be performed.

* Conditions or Nearby Activities:

- Recurring gastro-intestinal illness

- Household plumbing contains lead

- Radon in indoor air or region is radon rich

- Corrosion of pipes and plumbing

- Nearby areas of intensive agriculture

- Nearby Coal or other mining operations (Except for Blaschak

Coal!!!)

- Nearby Gas drilling operations

- Nearby Dump, junkyard, landfill, factory, gas station, or

dry-cleaning

- Odor of gasoline or fuel oil and near gas station or buried

fuel tanks

- Objectionable taste or smell

- Stained plumbing fixtures, laundry

- Salty taste and seawater or a heavily salted roadway nearby

- Scaly residues, soaps that do not lather

- Rapid wear of water treatment equipment

- Water softener needed to treat hardness

- Water appears cloudy, frothy or colored

* Test For:

- Coliform bacteria

- pH, lead, copper

- Radon

- Corrosion, pH, lead

- Nitrate, pesticides, coliform bacteria

- Metals, pH, corrosion

- Chloride, sodium, barium, strontium

- Volatile organic compounds, total dissolved solids, pH,

sulfate, chloride, metals

- Volatile organic compounds

- Hydrogen sulfide, corrosion, metals

- Iron, copper, manganese

- Chloride, total dissolved solids, sodium

- Hardness

- pH, corrosion

- Manganese, iron

- Color, detergents

Source: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The Pure Water Bottled Alternative:

Where the purity of drinking well water is concerned, bottled

water is the best alternative to ensure good health. There are

many types of bottles water on the market, but not all bottled

waters are of the same quality.

Spring water is subject tothe same ground water contamination as

well water and contains inorganic compounds that may be harmful

to health. Filtered water does not remove heavy metals, nitrates

or bacteria unless combined with other processes and purified

water using either Ion exchange or reverse osmosis procedures is

unable to effectively remove inorganic compounds and bacteria.

By far the most effective process for producing ultra-pure

bottled water combines distillation and carbon filtration

processes that purifies the water and removes over 99% of

inorganic compounds. The distillation and carbon filtration

combination produces a high quality, ultra-pure water.

Bottled water is also subject to Food and Drug Administration

(FDA) quality standards that are administered through individual

state inspection agencies.

The Future of Well Water:

Contamination of well water will increase as development

pressures on rural and suburban land continues. This is

particularly true on the East Coast of the United States as rural

areas, already under pressure, are consumed by increased

concentration of more individuals entering the urban

environment.

Testing of well water is complex and expensive and generally

beyond the scope and awareness of those relying on well water for

their drinking water and personal use. Contamination and health

problems can be expected to increase considerably and residents

should consider bottled pure water as a reliable source of

drinking water.

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Marcus Stout is President of Element H2O. For more

information about (http://www.elementh2o.com/) bottled

water, (http://www.elementh2o.com/Store/) private label

bottled water and (http://www.elementh2o.com/local/)

bottled water delivery go to http://www.elementh2o.com