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Name:	RaRay -	Reply
Subject:	well water
Date:	7/8/2009 5:15:28 PM

i was wondering if anyone knows about the kind of water produced from the well behind my house. located on blue creek 1/2 mile by road from chucks. Is it like tap water (w/ chlorine) or is it like lake or spring water. any help would be appreciated, thanks!

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	well water
Date:	7/8/2009 5:17:33 PM

Maybe before you drink too much of it from the tap, you should have it tested.

Name:	HOTROD -	Reply
Subject:	DUDE
Date:	7/8/2009 5:36:09 PM

IF YOU FIND CHLORINE IN WELL OR SPRIN WATER, SOMEONE HAS A BAD LEAK

Name:	Summer Lover -	Reply
Subject:	Please have it tested
Date:	7/8/2009 6:23:01 PM

Hound is right – a chemical analysis done on one of the wells on the Dadeville side of the lake showed some concerning results. There were trace amounts of algae (likely from the old pipes that are in the well itself – can cause gastric distress), lead (from old solder – can cause dain bramage), and very high amounts of oxygen (a very powerful oxidizing agent) and hydrogen (a very flammable gas).

Name:	RaRay -	Reply
Subject:	Please have it tested
Date:	7/8/2009 6:59:40 PM

i have not even tapped into this well yet, just wanting to. i will bring a sample to auburn and have it checked when i do tap into it. really this well will be used for my fish tank, this is why i was wondering if it was city water or spring water, as city water kills fish if untreated. any more info on this would be great! is there anyone on LM using well water now?

Name:	p.c. -	Reply
Subject:	Well water
Date:	7/8/2009 7:48:36 PM

We used well water for years before city water made it's way to us in Parker Creek. We share the well with three other houses and had it checked quarterly. Now we use it for landscaping.

Name:	Mack -	Reply
Subject:	Well water
Date:	7/8/2009 8:12:26 PM

my well at 240' down pumps the best water anyone could hope for. It is clean (tested regularly), it is free of crap added by scientists, and it is very, very COLD, especially after a hot day at the lake and a shower before dinner. And, it costs nothing if you don't use it??
God bless the folks who know how to find this kind of water.

Name:	lakeplumber -	Reply
Subject:	Recommendations .
Date:	7/8/2009 8:21:18 PM

1. Have the water lab tested for impurties and heavy metals. The state health lab used to do this (might be a small fee).

2. If the water is to be used as a potable supply, I would have a quality filtration system installed to eliminate contaminates that might not show up for a one time spot check. There are some now that have visible indicators indicating a change if the filter being needed.

Name:	PC Al -	Reply
Subject:	Recommendations .
Date:	7/8/2009 8:33:30 PM

We too had well water on Parker Creek before Terry’s city water system and it tested OK every time we tested it but always had a high iron content. We still have stains in the dish washer and even the shower from the high iron content. The filters looked like rust every time I changed them. Could have an effect on the fish.

Name:	lakeplumber -	Reply
Subject:	Recommendations .
Date:	7/8/2009 9:30:53 PM

If the filters looked like rust, then they were doing their job. The contaminants are meant to stay with the filter, not pass throught it and go into your supply.

Name:	Summer Lover -	Reply
Subject:	Well water
Date:	7/9/2009 11:39:56 AM

That, that, that, is what I call high quality H2O.

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	well water
Date:	7/9/2009 12:31:31 PM

Here is a primer for what you need to look for with well water.

First of all you need to ask the question of how you plan to use the water. If its just irrigation I would not worry about testing unless you see or smell something strange. Also, if there is a working pump I would operate it for a while to see if the well even has the capacity to justify the cost of testing and the rehab that it will likely need in order to put it back into use. Many of these older wells are so shallow they have very little storativity and of limited use for domestic purposes. Also, the well screen may not be in good shape and may need replacement. All these cost money.

Secondly, you need decide whether you just want to know the water quality from the well itself or from the tap. If the house is less the 20 years old I would just test the well water. Older homes may have piping that can add metals to the water. One note of caution, you can't just turn on the pump and put the sample in a jar and get valid results. When you decide on the lab, they will send you a bottle kit with instructions on how to collect and preserve the samples. You will need to place them on ice in a cooler to take it to the lab.

If you have it tested there are several kinds of tests that you can have done. The first and most expensive is Clean Water Act (CWA) parameters that includes volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs). pesticides, PCBS and metals. This is not a cheap test but it covers the gamut of chemicals that can be a health hazard. For most of these there are criteria that will tell whether there is a potential health risk. Secondly, and probably equally important for an area with homes that have septic tanks, is fecal coliform. Finally, there are a number of organoleptic tests that will identify taste and smell issues. My view of the latter test is if it passes the first two you will know if there is odor or taste issues.

There is a lot more to it than this but it gives you an idea of what is involved. I know, can't this be a simple task? Sadly, if you really want to rely on the results the answer is no. By the way, the other poster is correct, if there is chlorine in the well water there is a leak from a domestic water supply in the area of the well. Chlorine is an additive.

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