Water wells can contain contaminants despite the best mitigation efforts. A contaminated well spreads illness via its stored water. In some cases, the well and its irrigation system can be repaired. If not, the system must be replaced. King Water Wells strives to provide professional water well service backed by warranties to ensure well safety and avoid the common water well contaminants listed below.
Microbiological Contamination
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, well water can be contaminated several ways. The first contamination risk is microbiological contamination. Common microbiological contaminants include e. Coli and leptospira. Animal and human waste and ground soil can all contain these bacteria naturally, and they can cause serious illnesses, such as cholera, infectious hepatitis, and polio.
Metal Contamination
Heavy metals can also contaminate well water. Whether the metals come directly from older well materials, plumbing, or commercial or industrial runoff, you don’t want them in your water. Metals found in well water include arsenic, chromium, copper, lead, and selenium among others. Heavy metals can cause cancer, intestinal illness, and also damage your kidneys and liver.
Radionuclide Contamination
Also called radiologicals, these contaminates are found in food, the earth, and in the sun’s rays. In fact, you even have radionuclides in your DNA. What they are is what makes them dangerous in high quantities. Radiologicals are radium, radon, and uranium, and they enter ground and waterways via coal and gas industry waste. You can get cancer if you’re exposed to too much radionuclides.
Nitrate Contamination
Septic and sewage systems contain nitrates and they can contaminate your well water via runoff. Nitrates can also enter your water supply via animal waste, ground fertilizer, and industrial activities. As with just about anything else, nitrates pose a danger in mass quantities. They are particularly dangerous to the elderly and pregnant women, and they can make those with weak immunity quite ill.
Common Outbreaks
The Centers for Disease Control studied private well water contamination between 1971 and 2010. The CDC found the following contaminates in well water more than any other
- Viruses: Hepatitis A
- Parasites: Giardia, cryptosporidium
- Bacteria: e. Coli, campylobacter, shigella, salmonella
- Heavy Metals: Arsenic
- Chemicals: Gasoline, nitrate, phenol
- Trace Mineral: Selenium
What does this mean for your water well? It means you should have your water tested regularly to ensure it is clean and free of dangerous contaminants to protect you and your family. The same holds true for business, farmlands, and industrial properties running on well water.
King Water Wells in Rockford, MI, are water well drilling, installation, and repair experts. Call us today.