News ReleaseNews Release
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How Well is Your Well? March is a wonderful time of year, the snow is melting and the smell of spring is in the air. It is also the time when surface water from the snow melt increases the chances of contaminating drinking water in private wells. Central Lake Ontario Conservation would like to remind residents who depend on a private well for their drinking water, that along with putting their clocks ahead an hour, changing the batteries in their smoke detectors, it’s a good time to test the water in their well ensuring the health of all using the water supply. The procedure for testing drinking water is easy and well owners within
“A well is like a person, it needs a minimum of an annual physical to ensure it is operating correctly, says
Need Assistance With Your Well.
Background Information
10 Most Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Wells 1 Where does my well water come from?
2 What activities on my property could potentially impact my water quality and how do I know if I am at a high risk for contamination? 4) How often should I check the water quality in my family’s well? 5) How do I maintain my well and who should I call if I suspect there is a problem? 6) I have heard that shocking my well with chlorine bleach will kill bacteria and make the water safe to drink? 8) How can I conserve water during the summer months when my well sometimes dries up.
9) Is there any financial assistance available to private well owners who want to upgrade or decommission a well?
10) Where can I get more information on caring for my well? 1) Where does my well water come from?
The water in your well or the aquifer which feeds your well, comes from surface water and precipitation, rain and snow that infiltrates the soil where it then percolates down to the space below the water table called an aquifer.
2) What activities on my property could potentially impact my water quality and how do I know if I am at a high risk for contamination? Sources of contamination include: - surface water that could be carrying pesticides, bacteria, oils or fuel - septic systems that are faulty, not regularly cleaned out or are poorly placed and drain toward your well - gardens maintained around wells can damage the well/soil “seal”, bring insects and small mammals in contact with the well cap, - underground, above ground and abandoned storage tanks - animal waste from pets and other livestock - old unmaintained and abandoned wells that have not been properly decommissioned are easily contaminated and provide a A properly constructed well forms an effective barrier against surface run-off that may enter and contaminate the well. Your well is at a higher risk for contamination if your well is less than 6 metres ( 20 feet deep), subject to flooding, located less than 50 feet (drilled wells) or 100 feet (dug wells) from your septic bed or an old unmaintained well, an older stone or crib walled well, or the type of soil and rock between your ground surface and the aquifer is porous, such as sand and gravel. 3) What type of well meets today’s standards, and how do I know which type of well I have and whether or not to replace it or upgrade it? A well is either dug, drilled, bored or driven into an aquifer. All well types can meet today’s standards, including drilled wells with steel casings or dug/bored wells with large diameter concrete tiles, so long as they were built or upgraded to meet the minimum construction standards as set out in Regulation 903 of the Ontario Water Resources Act. Generally, these Regulations outline who is qualified to construct wells and install pumps, where a well can be located relative to possible sources of contamination, how the well is to be constructed and what materials can be used, well owner’s responsibilities, and when a well must be properly plugged or sealed. Assuming the well is properly located, you should look to see if the sanitary protection is in place, including grout in the annular space around the casing, seals between concrete tiles or at the point of entry of water and electrical lines, casing extends a minimum of 16 inches above the ground surface that slopes away from the well, sanitary well caps and well seals. If these features are in place, your well may meet today’s standards. If you don’t think your current well meets the general standards outlined above, you may be able to upgrade it so that it conforms to current standards to ensure your water source is protected. Signs that may indicate that your well requires an upgrade may include a broken or missing well cap, slumping of the ground around the outside of the well, top of well is less than 16 inches above the ground surface, a drilled well located in a well pit, and water staining on the inside of the well casing Signs that you may need to drill a new well include a poorly located existing well, such that it is close to potential sources of contamination or at risk from flooding; not providing you and your family with enough water for your daily needs and cannot easily be upgraded to incorporate new standards, such as old stone or crib wall constructed wells. If you need to install a well or upgrade an existing one, contact an MOE –licensed well contractor to advise you on your replacement, upgrade or decommissioning options. 4) How often should I check the water quality in my family’s well? Well owners should check their well water for bacteria, at least 3 times a year, using proper water sample containers provided by the Region of Durham. The best time to test is early spring, summer and fall, often after a heavy rainfall, when the likelihood of surface water contamination is highest. You can’t always see, taste or smell things in your water, and you should never rely on a neighbours water test results as they have a different well, unique surface and soil drainage to their property and maybe even a different aquifer. Remember, a well is considered to be free of bacterial contamination only after three consecutive samples, spaced a week apart, come back without any indication of contamination. 5) How do I maintain my well and who should I call if I suspect there is a problem? Wells and their various components are constantly working to provide water to you and your family and can wear out or become less effective at producing an adequate supply of water. Routine inspections and maintenance are important to maintain your well’s production levels and protect your water source from future contamination. Inspect your well – check your well cap, look at the annular seal between the drilled hole and well casing, check for cracks or evidence of water staining on the inside of your well casing, check your well pit for water, debris and vermin, install backflow devices to ensure contaminated water from some other source can’t run back into the well through your plumbing connections. 6) I have heard that shocking my well with chlorine bleach will kill bacteria and make the water safe to drink? Drinking contaminated water can make you and your family quite ill, it can even be fatal. Bacteria can cause stomach cramps, diarrhea and other problems, chemical contamination symptoms will vary but can be just as dangerous. If you have water that is contaminated with bacteria, you can shock it with chlorine bleach, but this would only be considered a temporary fix and should not be used in place of addressing a source of contamination – try eliminating the cause – better to remove the source of contamination than having repeatedly treat the water. 7) I replaced an old dug well with a new drilled well and follow the well steward steps, but wondered what I should do about the old well if we no longer need it? Old and abandoned wells that have not been properly decommissioned can pose a physical safety hazard to humans and animals, are easily contaminated and provide a direct link to the same groundwater that active wells draw from. For those of you who think that you may have one or a few old abandoned wells on your property, you should know that you could be at risk of contaminating your good groundwater supply. Wells that are no longer in use (wet or dry) should be properly decommissioned. Well decommissioning can be a tricky job that requires specialized equipment and therefore is normally done by a licensed well contractor. Decommissioning a well generally involves removing the old plumbing equipment, disinfecting the well, filling the well with a carefully prepared plugging mixture (such as a bentonite slurry and cement grout), removing the casing at least 3 metres below ground level and backfilling the remaining hole with clean soil that is less permeable than the native soil, and submitting a completed water well record to the Ministry of Environment showing the exact location of the plugged well and the materials used. 8) How can I conserve water during the summer months when my well sometimes dries up. Water Saving Devices: Aerators on sinks, low flow toilets, watering a garden with rain-barrel water and low flow showerheads. Visit www.region.durham.on.ca for more water saving ideas.
9) Is there any financial assistance available to private well owners who want to upgrade or decommission a well?
Yes.
10 Where can I get more information on caring for my well?
Please contact Mr.
What we do on the land is mirrored in the water. |