You rely on your home’s water well to provide you and your family with plenty of freshwater. Maintaining the well is crucial, however. Otherwise, you run the risk of contamination. The EPA lists the common contaminants found in residential water wells on their website, and we here at King Water Wells are going to provide that list below because we feel this is important information everyone that has a water well needs to know.
e. Coli
One of the biggest concerns with using water well water is e. Coli. This microbiological contaminant can make your family very ill. The environment has e. Coli in it naturally. It’s found in animal waste, human waste, and soil. This makes it easy for it to make its way into your water well and make you sicker than a dog if you ingest too much of it.
Heavy Metals
In this case, not a music genre. Many water wells end up with arsenic, chromium, copper, lead, and selenium in the water and these heavy metals are dangerous if you ingest too many of them. You can also end up with heavy metal poisoning from old plumbing pipes, so it’s a good idea to have the whole system inspected annually.
Radionuclides
As their name suggests, radionuclides are a form of radiological, and they are also found naturally in the environment. Broken down, your water well can become contaminated with radium, radon, or uranium if isn’t cared for properly, and this can make you and your family ill. Nobody wants uranium in their drinking and bathing water.
Fluoride
You need fluoride for healthy teeth but you should never swallow it. Fluoride levels in your water well over 4.0 mg/L are dangerous and can make your family sick. In fact, it’s better if you only ingest the EPA’s recommendation of 2.0 mg/L in your well water. Even better, no fluoride at all, which can be achieved with proper filtration.
Nitrates
Finally, nitrates also occur naturally in septic and sewage systems as well as in animal waste/fertilizers and agricultural run-off. High nitrate levels can reduce your blood’s oxygen levels to dangerous proportions. They can also harm pregnant women and their fetuses and the elderly. Those with compromised immune systems can also be harmed by nitrates.
Call King Water Wells in Rockford, MI, if you haven’t had a water well inspection and service yet this year. We’ll test the water and make sure your well is free of the above contaminants.