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WATER TESTING
WATER TESTING ADVICE
SHOULD YOU TEST YOUR WATER?
PUBLIC vs PRIVATE WATER
WHEN TO TEST
WATER TEST COSTS
SPECIAL SITUATION TESTS
ARSENIC in WATER
BACTERIA TEST GUIDE
CHEATING on WATER TESTS
CHOICES of WATER TESTS
CORRECTING BAD WATER
Common Water Tests for Bacteria
What to Do About Failed Water Tests
When & How to Shock or Chlorinate a Well
Acting on Unsatisfactory or Contaminated Water
EPA GUIDE to WATER QUALITY
Ground water & Well Contamination
Drinking Water from Household Wells
What Is Ground Water, How Is It Polluted
Where Do Water Pollutants Come From
Naturally Occurring Pollution Sources
Private Well Contaminant Concerns
Pollution due to Humans
Level of Risk of Water Contamination
Six Steps to Well Water Safety
Protecting Ground Water From Contaminants
1. How To Spot Well ContaminationProblems
2. Well Water Test Strategy
Reasons to Test Well Water
3. Understanding Water] Test Results
4. Well Construction and Maintenance
5. Talk With Local Water Experts
6. Fix Well Water Contamination Problems
More Information on Well Water
Well Water Definitions
FHA WATER TESTS REQUIRED
LEAD in WATER, ACTION GUIDE
LEAD POISONING SYMPTOMS
LEAD TEST VARIATION CAUSES
ODORS IN WATER
SEWAGE CONTAMINATION
TOTAL COLIFORM TESTING
WATER CONTAMINANT LEVELS
WATER TEST RESULTS, ACTION GUIDE
WATER TESTING GUIDE
WATER TREATMENT GUIDE
WATER TREATMENT EQUIPMENT CHOICES
WATER ODORS, CAUSE CURE
WATER PUMPS & WELLS
WATER QUANTITY GUIDE
WATER SOFTENERS
WELL SHOCKING GUIDE
WELLS CISTERNS & SPRINGS
WATER PRESSURE LOSS
WATER TANK TYPES
WELL CLEARANCE DISTANCES
WELL TYPES
WELL, PUMP, TANK LIFE
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 Sources of Well Water Contamination
WaterAPedia ©
- ground water pollution prevention, well water testing, well water safety, US EPA advice part 3
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- What are the sources of contaminants, odors, or pollutants in well water?
- Sources of ground water pollution of drinking water & wells
- Health concerns about water pollution
- Levels of risk due to water contaminants
- Steps to improve well water safety
- Protecting ground water
- How to correct ground water contamination
Our site offers impartial, unbiased advice without conflicts of interest.
We will block advertisements which we discover or readers inform us are associated with bad business practices,
false-advertising, or junk science. Our contact info is at
inspect-ny.com/appointment.htm.
If your family gets drinking water from your own well, do you know if your water is safe to drink? What health risks could you and your family face? Where can you go for help or advice? This pamphlet helps answer these questions. It gives you general information about drinking water from home wells (also considered private
drinking water sources). It describes types of activities in your area that can create threats to your water supply. It also describes problems to look for and offers maintenance suggestions. Sources for more information and help are also listed. [Editing for clarity by DF are marked by brackets or italics]
Initial Source: EPA 816-K-02-003 January 2002
Edits, content addition, & web page design © 2008 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.
Understanding and spotting possible pollution sources is important. It's the first step to safeguard drinking water for you and your
family. Some threats come from nature. Naturally occurring contaminants such as minerals can present a health risk. Other potential
sources come from past or present human activity - things that we do, make, and use such as mining, farming and using chemicals. Some of
these activities may result in the pollution of the water we drink.
Several sources of pollution are easy to spot by sight, taste, or smell. (See Quick Reference List.), however many serious problems can
only be found by testing your water. Knowing the possible threats in your area will help you decide on the kind of tests you need.
- Scale or scum from calcium or magnesium salts in water
- Unclear/turbid water from dirt, clay salts, silt or rust in water
- Green stains on sinks or faucets caused by high acidity
- Brown-red stains on sinks, dishwasher, or clothes in wash points to dissolved iron in water
- Cloudy water that clears upon standing may have air bubbles from poorly working pump or problem with filters.
- Salty or brackish taste from high sodium content in water
- Alkali/soapy taste from dissolved alkaline minerals in water
- Metallic taste from acidity or high iron content in water
- Chemical taste from industrial chemicals or pesticides
- A rotten egg odor or sulphur odor in water can be from dissolved hydrogen sulfide gas or certain bacteria in your water.
- [DF addition/edit] A rotten egg or "sulphur odor" in drinking water may also come from the water heater and may be easy to fix. If the smell only comes with hot water it is likely from a part in your hot water heater. [The water heater's sacrificial anode, a rod sticking down into the water heater tank, is intended to reduce water tank corrosion and thus extend water tank life. But when the anode is badly corroded or dissolved itself, this condition can be a source of smelly water. Check for this condition before doing something more expensive to address water odors. We most often notice this odor when the home has been unoccupied for some time and the water heater has become deteriorated. Key is that the odor is only noticed when running the hot water.--DF]
- A detergent odor in water and water that foams when drawn could be seepage [into the well] from septic tanks [or other groundwater] into your water well.
- A gasoline or oil smell in water indicates fuel oil or gasoline likely seeping from a tank into the water supply. [We found a property at which an owner was using an old "abandoned" drilled well casing to dispose of his used motor oil. This is an example of why it's a good idea to properly seal abandoned wells, making it unlikely that an un-used well will become a pipe for contaminants to be sent directly into the local aquifer.--DF]
- Methane gas or musty/earthy smell in water may be from decaying organic matter in water. [We've had reports, especially from mining areas such as portions of Pennsylvania in the U.S. in which underground methane was seeping into the well through rock fissures. One client could on occasion light gas coming from their kitchen faucet! Be careful, such conditions are dangerous and risk explosion or fire.--DF]
- Chlorine smell in water may be from excessive chlorination [or from improper or inadequate water treatment systems that have stoped filtering excessive chlorine in the post-processing step after using a chlorinator to kill bacteria in a water supply. -_DF.]
Note: Many serious problems (bacteria, heavy metals, nitrates, radon, and many chemicals) can only be found by laboratory testing of water.
We discuss sources of water odors and offer details on how to remove odors in water at ODORS IN WATER.
Use links at the left of each page to continue to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links at page left show where you are in our document or website.
More expert information on wells, water testing, and contaminants
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WATER TESTING
WATER TESTING ADVICE
SHOULD YOU TEST YOUR WATER?
PUBLIC vs PRIVATE WATER
WHEN TO TEST
WATER TEST COSTS
SPECIAL SITUATION TESTS
ARSENIC in WATER
BACTERIA TEST GUIDE
CHEATING on WATER TESTS
CHOICES of WATER TESTS
CORRECTING BAD WATER
Common Water Tests for Bacteria
What to Do About Failed Water Tests
When & How to Shock or Chlorinate a Well
Acting on Unsatisfactory or Contaminated Water
EPA GUIDE to WATER QUALITY
FHA WATER TESTS REQUIRED
LEAD in WATER, ACTION GUIDE
LEAD POISONING SYMPTOMS
LEAD TEST VARIATION CAUSES
ODORS IN WATER
SEWAGE CONTAMINATION
TOTAL COLIFORM TESTING
WATER CONTAMINANT LEVELS
WATER TEST RESULTS, ACTION GUIDE
WATER TESTING GUIDE
WATER TREATMENT GUIDE
WATER TREATMENT EQUIPMENT CHOICES
WATER ODORS, CAUSE CURE
WATER PUMPS & WELLS
WATER QUANTITY GUIDE
WATER SOFTENERS
WELL SHOCKING GUIDE
WELLS CISTERNS & SPRINGS
WATER PRESSURE LOSS
WATER TANK TYPES
WELL CLEARANCE DISTANCES
WELL TYPES
WELL, PUMP, TANK LIFE
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Drinking Water Supply, Contamination Levels, Water Testing Procedures
- Drinking Water testing, contamination, correction - all topics
- Drinking Water Testing Advice for home buyers home owners home inspectors
- Choices of Water Tests & Fees: A Summary of Types of Water Tests, Degrees of Comprehensive Water Testing, Details of Water Test Parameters
- Cheating on water tests: Testing Water for Real Estate Transactions - make sure your water test is valid
- Drinking Water Contamination and Pollution How to Detect, Test, Correct, and Prevent Well Water Contamination - US EPA - Groundwater
- Interpreting Drinking Water Test Results what the results mean and what to do about them
- Correcting Unsatisfactory Water what to do, when to do it, treatment alternatives, equipment, filters, etc.
- Water Treatment for Contamination, Hardness, Odors, Sediment, Etc: choices of systems, recommendations
- Drinking Water Contaminant Levels - Maximum Allowed
- How to Reduce Lead Contamination in Drinking Water: how to test & correction lead in drinking water
- Lead Contamination from Water Supply Lines/Entry Mains, Lead Testing & Correcting Contamination from - Lead Pipe Problems/Advice
- Extreme Lead Poisoning Symptoms Suggested by Feb 2006 NY Times Article on Kosovo Roma Camps
- When and How to Shock or Chlorinate a Well - Procedure for Shocking a Well to (temporarily or maybe longer) "Correct" Bacterial Contamination
- Water Requirements, Home & Outdoor Living
- Water Supply & Drain Piping, Wells, Pumps, Water Supply Equipmentt
 The Septic System Information Website - Extensive, Detailed Consumer and Industry Information on Septic System Inspection, Testing, Maintenance, Alternatives for on-site waste disposal- Sewage or Septic contamination in buildings - Investigation, Testing and Remediation
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