Wells Information

Properly constructed private water supply systems require little routine maintenance. These simple steps will help protect your system and investment.

  • Always use licensed or certified water well drillers and pump installers when a well is constructed, a pump is installed or the system is serviced.
  • An annual well maintenance check, including a bacterial test, is recommended. Any source of drinking water should be checked any time there is a change in taste, odor or appearance, or anytime a water supply system is serviced.
  • Keep hazardous chemicals, such as paint, fertilizer, pesticides, and motor oil far away from your well.
  • Periodically check the well cover or well cap on top of the casing (well) to ensure it is in good repair.
  • Always maintain proper separation between your well and buildings, waste systems or chemical storage facilities. Your professional contractor knows the rules.
  • Don't allow back-siphonage. When mixing pesticides, fertilizers or other chemicals, don't put the hose inside the tank or container.
  • When landscaping, keep the top of your well at least one foot above the ground. Slope the ground away from your well for proper drainage.
  • Take care in working or mowing around your well. A damaged casing could jeopardize the sanitary protection of your well. Don't pile snow, leaves, or other materials around your well.
  • Keep your well records in a safe place. These include the construction report, as well as annual water well system maintenance and water testing results.
  • Be aware of changes in your well, the area around your well, or the water it provides.
  • When your well has come to the end of its serviceable life (usually more than 20 years), have your qualified water well contractor properly decommission your well after constructing your new system.

Shock Chlorinating a Well

Why Shock Chlorinate?

A well is contaminated with Coliform Bacteria

A water system may become contaminated several ways; there may be surface water entering the well, either via the well casing, or because the filtering effect of the ground is short circuited due to ground formations. The plumbing system may become contaminated during maintenance, e.g., installing new pipes, faucets, or water treatment equipment. When a well or water system has been unused for a long period of time, the water in it may become stagnant, and can become a prime habitat for Coliform bacteria to flourish.

Shocking the Well:

1. Locate well casing and remove cover.

2. Pour about half a gallon of unscented household bleach or sodium hypochlorite into a 5 gallon bucket and fill with water. Empty chlorinated water into the well. It is good to flush the inside of well casing with water through a hose from an outdoor tap. Do this for about 15 minutes. This also stirs the Chlorine into the water supply more quickly.

3. Run water at several taps or until a strong chlorine smell is present. This usually takes about 15 minutes or longer.

4. Allow chlorinated water to remain distributed in the water system for at least 12 hours to allow sufficient contact time for the chlorine to kill any bacteria that may be present.

5. For an accurate retest, the Chlorine must be completely gone. Chlorine will be removed during several weeks of normal usage. If desired, the water source can be flushed continuously at a slow rate until the Chlorine is gone or run water for 20 to 30 minute intervals and then let well recover for 30 minutes between each run. This will usually take at least 4 hours, but it may take considerably longer. Run water overnight if possible. It is advisable to run water off at an exterior hose faucet to deter introducing chlorine into the septic system. After chlorine is no longer present flush all faucets in the home.

6. Collect a new sample.

Notes:

1. Be sure to replace cover on well casing.

2. If the plumbing system has a charcoal or carbon activated filter, place it on bypass, since the chlorine can shorten the life of the filter.

3. Getting rid of all the chlorine can take some time; use discretion to prevent burning out the well pump.

4. Make sure all the chlorine is gone before taking a bacteria sample. Out intent is not so much to get a sample free of bacteria as getting an accurate analysis. If the water contains chlorine it is not an accurate representation of the water system. Any sample with Chlorine present will be rejected and a new sample will be requested.

Ideally there should be a time lapse of at least 1 to 2 weeks between shock treatment and sampling so that if indeed there is a surface water contamination problem, there is time for the well to become contaminated. If, after shock chlorinating a well, a water sample from that well is still Coliform positive, then it can usually be assumed that there is a surface water contamination problem, and the only recourse to correcting the problem is installing a permanent bacteria treatment system (ultraviolet light treatment system).