Welcome to our Well Water Series! Ensuring the quality of your well water is essential for the health and safety of your household. Therefore, we have dedicated three installments about everything you need to know: the ten signs your well water needs testing and treatment, a safety guide to getting the highest water quality and, finally, the importance of removing iron and sulfur in improving well water purity.
Over time, various factors can affect the purity and safety of your water supply, making regular testing and treatment vital. In this first part of our series, we will outline the top ten signs that indicate your well water may need attention. Identifying these signs can help you take proactive steps to maintain a clean and safe water supply. Let’s delve into the key indicators that your well water needs testing and treatment.
- Strange Odours: The first sign of compromised well water quality is often foul odours from your tap, typically caused by gas-producing bacteria. For example, a rotten egg smell indicates the presence of hydrogen sulfide, a corrosive gas produced by decaying organic matter in groundwater or human, agricultural, and industrial activities. Hydrogen sulfide can also result from sulfur-reducing bacteria transforming sulfate, which naturally occurs in water or comes from farming, industrial, and landfill pollution into this gas. Depending on its concentration, it can also leave odours on hair and laundry. Other bacteria, like iron bacteria, naturally growing in soil and water sources, can cause odours resembling fuel oil, sewage, or rotten vegetation. Musty or earthy scents can come from organic decay, often associated with algae. Finally, odours of detergent or chlorine may indicate a septic tank leak or nearby chemicals, affecting long-term health.
- Unusual Taste: The second sign suggesting your well supply needs to be tested or treated is altered tastes in drinking water. A metallic taste can be due to dissolved metals like iron or manganese in soil, rocks and sediment and carried by water into your well. These contaminants can also come from industrial operations, wastewater treatment and agricultural runoff. Furthermore, aging water systems or corroded plumbing may introduce metals like lead or copper, while industrial activities can add zinc, contributing to the metallic taste. It can be exacerbated by low pH, soft, corrosive water from acidic soil and rain, and industrial or agricultural drainage, which cause metals to leach more readily from pipes and fixtures. This taste may not just be unpleasant but can also imply potential water quality issues and health risks.Your well water can also taste salty due to high concentrations of dissolved minerals like sodium and chloride naturally from the aquifer or saltwater intrusion in coastal areas. Additionally, agricultural runoff, irrigation drainage, de-icing road salts, industrial activities, and wastewater disposal can increase water salinity. Eventually, a salty taste suggests water quality issues, potentially requiring testing and treatment.
- Discolouration or Cloudiness:
Aside from peculiar odours and tastes, those same contaminants can discolour the water coming from your well. Oxidizing upon air, iron or manganese can cause a reddish-brown or black tint, while blue or green discolouration often indicates corroding copper pipes or low-pH water. Moreover, tannins from decaying vegetation and certain bacteria can turn the water yellow or tea- coloured. Overall, discolouration can vary from milky white to green or black, signalling different potential issues that need to be addressed.Besides, water from your tap should be crystal clear, but if it’s cloudy or murky, it indicates the presence of micro-suspended particles like dirt, clay, silt, rust, or organic matter, known as turbidity. These particles can enter water through natural erosion, surface runoff, or disruptions like heavy rainfall and floods, fires, and nearby construction, among other factors. Turbidity can harbour iron bacteria and other potentially harmful microorganisms and trap heavy metals. Additionally, cloudiness can be air bubbles released from gas contamination like hydrogen sulfide, radon, or methane. Consequently, cloudy water, particularly from microbial or gas contamination, indicates potential water treatment issues and increased pathogen risks.Finally, dissolved minerals like calcium or magnesium, signifying hard water, can cause cloudiness. While not harmful to health, hard water can have other negative impacts discussed below. - Visible Sediment in Water: More than just a cloudy appearance, gritty or muddy water can actually contain larger sediment particles visible to the naked eye. Other than more or less common environmental factors, it may signal structural integrity concerns with your well, pump, tank, or pipes. First, it can be due to exceptional disturbances near your home that could seriously damage your water system. Additionally, it can mean that your well is not properly constructed or deep enough, or that the water level is low, causing the pump to draw sediments from the bottom of the well. It might also stem from the breakdown of the well casing or failure of the well screen, allowing sediment to infiltrate the water. Ultimately, these abrasive sediments can accumulate and damage or clog your water system, plumbing,and appliances over time.
- Staining on Fixtures and Laundry: If it ever happens that you notice coloured stains on your plumbing fixtures and laundry, it might be another sign that your water quality needs improvement. More visible and irreversible than water discolouration, staining is a common issue for households relying on well water. Oxidized iron and manganese can leave unsightly reddish-brown or black deposits on faucets, sinks, bathtubs, toilets, and laundry. Tannins can also leave tea-coloured stains. Blue or green stains typically indicate acidic water and copper plumbing corrosion, sometimes resulting in laundry spotted with blue. Additionally, sulfides add to corrosion and leave black stains wherever water stands.You may have also observed chalky or white stains or drops on your fittings, dishes and clothes, which is actually a sign of high-content calcium and magnesium hard water leaving limescale deposits. Moreover, hard water hinders soap and detergent from dissolving completely, forming an insoluble, adhesive residue called soap scum. As a result, this combination can inlay your kitchen and bathroom surfaces and is also responsible for the spots on your dishes and the stains on your laundry. Lastly, mineral and soap residues provide a perfect environment for fungi and bacteria, causing pink or orange stains on your toilets, sinks, showers, bathtubs, tiles, and washers.
- Unusual Build-Up on Plumbing Fixtures: Substantially more problematic than stains is the impact of hard water forming permanent, concrete-like limescale on items with constant water flow. This buildup obstructs pipes, faucets, hoses, and showerheads, lowering water pressure and eventually clogging fittings. It can also cause significant damage to your water-using appliances, leading to decreased performance and quicker wear and tear. Consequently, hard water can result in expensive maintenance, repairs, and increased energy and water bills for your household. So, noticing visible limescale buildup on your fittings often indicates significant deposits throughout your water system, signalling it’s time to test and treat your water. Similarly, high concentrations of iron bacteria and hydrogen sulfide gas can accumulate on well pumps and form significant deposits, leading to pump failure (burnout), low flow rates, and reduced plumbing efficiency, with the same consequences as hard water regarding maintenance and cost.
- Frequent Illnesses: If you or members of your household are experiencing physical health symptoms, your well water may be the cause. Common illnesses related to well water often originate from microbial contamination, toxic metals, and chemicals. As a reminder, these contaminants can naturally occur in soil or water sources or enter your water supply from nearby sewage leaks, animal waste, agricultural runoff, industrial pollution, or severe weather events. Click here for a comprehensive overview of contaminants in tap water.Vulnerable populations such as infants, pregnant women, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals are particularly at risk from short-term health effects. Nonetheless, prolonged exposure to contaminated water can increase the risk of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular, endocrine, kidney, and liver issues, hypertension, and cancer.
- Skin and Hair Issues: Not only can impure well water make you sick, but it can also impact your skin and hair conditions, which is more detailed here.The main troublemaker is – once again – hard water. Hard water and undissolved soap, shampoo and conditioner (soap scum) leave a film-like residue on your skin and hair, clogging pores and scales and absorbing natural oil and moisture. As a result, even when using the best care products, your skin can become dry, itchy, and irritated. Moreover, this combination can aggravate chronic dermatologic conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and other dermatitis issues. As for your hair, it can become dry, brittle, dull, lifeless, and flaky, while your scalp may become irritated, itchy, dry or oily.Less-known manifestations of dermatological issues can arise from potential contaminants in your well water: iron and manganese can leave reddish and dark staining on hair and lead to hair dryness and brittleness. Moreover, sulfides’ corrosive properties can further irritate and dry out skin and hair. Finally, bacteria and chemicals such as nitrates and chlorine can also trigger rashes and allergic reactions.
- Oily Film on Water: If you notice an oily film on your water, it may be another sign of contamination. This formation can naturally arise from excess minerals and organic substances, which oxidation creates an oily sheen in the water. It might also signal a worn- out well pump or proximity to an untreated water source. However, if the oily film resembles petroleum, it may indicate industrial pollution from petroleum runoff or oil spills, posing significant health risks if ingested.
- Agricultural or Industrial Proximity: A last factor requiring your constant vigilance, which appeared throughout this article but is worth repeating, is the location of your well water supply. If your well is located near areas of intensive agriculture, your water is more likely to highly contain contaminants, including fertilizer nitrates and phosphates, pesticides, herbicides, and coliform bacteria. If you are close to coal or other mining operations, your water is more susceptible to containing heavy metals. Additionally, being close to activities such as gas drilling operations, gas stations with buried fuel tanks, junkyards, landfills, or factories can inevitably pollute your well supply with VOCs, total dissolved solids (TDS), sulfates, chlorides, heavy metals, and countless other contaminants.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the variety of noticeable signs of changes in water appearance often corresponds to as many potential contamination sources. Private wells, lacking the support of public authorities, are particularly vulnerable, especially in areas highly exposed to pollutants. Therefore, regular testing and treatment are crucial to mitigate health risks and preserve water integrity.
Owning a well entails significant responsibility for independently ensuring water quality, which can be challenging. In our next installment, we will provide practical steps to ensure the highest water quality for your well. From safety protocols to effective treatment methods, we aim to empower you with the knowledge to protect and optimize your well water’s health and reliability.
In the meantime, our experts are here to support you every step of the way. Visit our website, contact us, or book a free water test to begin the process. We are committed to assisting you in safeguarding your well water.
