Watch Out for These: Identifying and Treating Common Well Water Contaminants

When you think about how water finds its way into a well, it is hardly surprising that it is full of impurities. In fact, that word is not strong enough to describe what we're talking about here: this is about contamination and pollution. If rainwater falls on a field or even a garden, it is going to seep into the soil, taking things with it. Fertilizers, weedkillers, and random chemicals that we all drop and don't even think about. In the driveway and on the roads, there will be traces of petrol, oil, and rubber, along with who-knows-what that is contained in the black gunk that forms in engines.

Common Well Water Contaminants in the US

Industry and agriculture are the lifeblood of America, and although the industrial revolution is long gone and heavy industry is not what it was, we are still generating and discarding vast amounts of things that are useful in their place but qualify as hazards or "nasties" when they get into the wrong places.

While in civilized countries it is now illegal to dump waste in rivers, it still happens, and anyway, well water doesn't come from rivers: it comes from the sky – and it's all downhill from there, literally as well as figuratively.

Even in municipal water, which has been treated before it reaches our property, some things can cause trouble. Let's start with some unwelcome but not especially harmful ones. Iron, for instance, can cause a metallic taste in water and can leave a brown, rusty deposit in bathtubs and sinks. Sulfur can cause an unpleasant smell akin to rotten eggs.

These are quite common in water that is piped to us by the local government water department, and if that is true of treated water, who knows what may be lurking in a well? The truth is, we do know what turns up there, and it doesn't make for pleasant reading over a nice cup of green tea and some cookies.

Nitrates, anyone? These are naturally occurring substances made of nitrogen and oxygen, but our bodies can convert them into nitrites, which are not good at all. They can be carcinogenic and interfere with our oxygen supply.

Lead: There is another thing commonly found in well water, and we all know lead is poisonous. Then there is arsenic: yes, seriously, the traditional poisoner's friend could be in your drinking water.

Manganese, too. Although this is one of the trace elements that are sometimes included in vitamin and mineral supplements, the body doesn't need much of it, and too much can be harmful.

Nasties You've Never Heard Of

Atrazine is a herbicide, which means it is poisonous to plants. It is also poisonous to humans. Alachlor is another one: very useful for keeping weeds down in a corn crop, but you don't want it around when you're rinsing salad vegetables.

Notice we're still on the letter A. There are hundreds of contaminants that could be in your well water. That is not to say you've got all of them, but until you get your water tested, you won't know. A good water purification company can show you exactly what is in there and remove it. Home well water filtration systems can be extremely effective, and they don't cost the earth.

You don't have to take a water sample and mail it to a mysterious laboratory somewhere. Just contact a water purification firm with great experience and a good reputation. They will come and take a sample, look at your setup, and test your water. And yes, they will probably sell you some kind of purification system, but that is what you need.

Well water may be a lovely idea, but if you're dealing with iron contamination causing rusty stains and metallic tastes, a specialized well water iron filter can effectively address this common problem. There is nothing romantic about being poisoned.