Water that’s safe to drink should ideally be clear with no odor or funny taste. One way to tell if water is contaminated is to look for turbidity, or cloudiness . While cloudy water isn’t necessarily dangerous to your health, it could signal the presence of unsafe pathogens or chemicals.
What is done during a well test?
During production well tests, technicians flow reservoir fluids to the surface through a drillstring or a drillstem test (DST) string. ... These tests may take less than two days to evaluate a single well or months to evaluate reservoir extent. Test types include buildup, drawdown, falloff, injection and interference.
What should I test for in well water?
You should have your well tested once a year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids, and pH levels . If you suspect other contaminants, you should test for those as well.
How do you know if you have bacteria in your well water?
One of the easiest ways to determine if your water is contaminated is by the smell of rotten eggs . A rotten egg smell points to sulfur bacteria or hydrogen sulfide gas in your water. Sulfur bacteria are naturally occurring. This bacteria forms through decay and chemical reactions with soil and rocks.
Can I test my own well water?
Alberta Health Services Environmental Public Health (EPH) will only test water samples that: come from a water supply people use for drinking (for example, your well water), and. do not come from city or town water supplies.
Does well water need to be boiled?
If your water at home is from a private well or small community well, you should boil the water or use approved bottled water for drinking . Sometimes a well is more likely to become contaminated with bacteria. Bathing is not a problem using well water. Water from a private well should be tested at least once each year.
How can I naturally purify my well water?
- 1 – Boiling. Boiling water is the cheapest and safest method of water purification. ...
- 2 – Filtration. Filtration is one of the effective ways of purifying water and when using the right multimedia filters it’s effective in ridding water of the compounds. ...
- 3 – Distillation. ...
- 4 – Chlorination.
What are the main objectives of a well test?
The common exploration well test objectives are: To determine the nature of the formation fluids . To measure the productivity of the well. To measure the reservoir temperature and pressure.
How long does it take to get well water test results?
How long will it take to get the results? Some laboratories may take as long as two weeks to return your results. For typical results, Clean Water Testing will usually return your results within three to five business days . Q.
Does well water go bad?
Although properly stored public-supply water should have an indefinite shelf life , replace it every 6 to 12 months for best taste. If the water you are storing comes from a private well, spring, or other untested source, purify it before storage to kill pathogens (see below).
Can I pour bleach down my well?
Mix 2 quarts bleach in 10 gallons of water; pour into well. Connect a garden hose to a nearby faucet and wash down the inside of the well. Open each faucet and let the water run until a strong chlorine odor is detected, then turn it off and go to the next one. ... Pour it into the well without pumping.
What happens if you drink bad well water?
Health Risks
Symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, cramps, nausea, headaches, fever, fatigue, and even death sometimes . Infants, children, elderly people, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to get sick or die from disease-causing microorganisms in drinking water.
Can you get sick from well water?
Can bacteria in well water make you sick? yes , household well water that is contaminated likely holds coliform bacteria and E-coli. These microorganisms can be the cause of enteric diseases.
Should you drink well water?
Well water should be tested to be sure it’s safe to drink . Most well water is safe to drink, but there can be health risks associated with well water used for drinking. Well water may contain microorganisms and chemicals that could make you sick.
Is well water good for your teeth?
While city or town water is treated with fluoride, and the content known, not everyone has water provided to them this way. Some homes have water provided by a well. Those with wells have no control over the fluoride level , and too much or too little fluoride can have a significant impact upon your teeth.
