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. ... That means it’s up to the well owner to ensure that well water is safe to drink.
Is it OK to drink well water?
Well water can be safe for drinking and all other household needs , as long as you make sure to test your water supply regularly and select treatment solutions in line with your results. Learn more about the well water treatment options that are available for your specific needs.
Is well water clean enough to drink?
Generally speaking, yes, well water is safe to use and consume . However, it can sometimes become contaminated by chemicals, road salts, oil, gasoline, household waste, heavy metals, and microorganisms. The key is to pay closer attention to the safety of your well water by testing it annually.
How do you make well water drinkable and keep it safe to drink?
Boiling . If you don’t have safe bottled water, you should boil your water to make it safe to drink. Boiling is the surest method to kill disease-causing organisms, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites.
How do I know if my well water is safe to drink?
The only way to tell if your drinking water is safe is by having it tested at a certified laboratory . Harmful bacteria, parasites, and viruses are invisible to the naked eye, so water which looks and tastes good may not necessarily be safe to drink.
Why should you not drink well water?
Significance. About 15 percent of Americans rely on well water for drinking, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Contaminated well water can cause nausea, diarrhea and vomiting and potentially lead to serious health problems, such as cancer, kidney disorders and brain damage, says Dr. Gochfeld.
Does well water need to be filtered?
Well water may look, taste, and smell differently than water from a city home. ... When you own a home with a private well, the safety and quality of the water is your responsibility. Well water almost always requires some softening and filtration to make it ideal for drinking, cooking, and cleaning.
What are the disadvantages of well water?
- Hard Water and Scale Buildup.
- Harmful contaminants such as bacteria, lead, and arsenic.
- Pumps need to be replaced every 10 or so years.
- Bad taste.
Can bad well water make you sick?
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.
What are the benefits of drinking well water?
- Helps in weight loss. Drinking water is a great way to lose weight. ...
- Aids in maintaining a healthy heart. You can reduce your risk of having a heart attack by drinking water. ...
- Enhances brain function. ...
- Promotes healthy looking skin. ...
- Reduces muscle and joint inflammation.
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.
Can you drink well water without filter?
Nope . Similarly, we wouldn’t recommend drinking unfiltered, untreated water from a public source either. It’s difficult to know what may be in your water at any given time, so it’s important to use a water filtration system whether it’s well water or from a municipal source.
How do I get rid of bacteria in my well water?
You can use regular household bleach to disinfect a well. The chlorine in the bleach will destroy bacteria. Check the label on the bottle to make sure the bleach does not have any kind of additives (ex: scent, detergent).
Is well water better than tap water?
Well water typically tastes better due to the lack of added chemicals (ask anyone). Public water is treated with chlorine, fluoride, and other harsh and dangerous chemicals. Well water travels straight up from the ground; you get all the health benefits of clean water with none of the harsh chemical additives.
How deep should a well be for drinking water?
The quality of your water depends on several factors including geology and water levels. In order to allow for maximum ground filtration to remove impurities, your well depth should be at least 100 feet . As a general rule, the deeper you drill, it’s more likely that there will be minerals present.
How does well water stay clean?
Filters and other private purification systems can help expel contaminants in well water. ... The Berkey Water Filtration Systems have a specific filtration system equipped with cleaning even the dirtiest water. It extracts part of the bacteria, chemicals, toxins, and so on. Yet, it retains the minerals.
