Well water and health: Protect and maintain your well

Keep your water safe by learning how to properly maintain your well and manage potential sources of contamination.

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Protecting groundwater resources

As a well owner, you're responsible for monitoring and maintaining the quality of your drinking water.

The best way to protect groundwater and keep accessing clean water is to prevent contamination from happening in the first place. You can do this by making sure your well is in good condition and properly managing any contaminants on your property.

Once an aquifer is contaminated, it can be extremely difficult, or sometimes impossible, to clean up. As a result, aquifers can become unusable if they're contaminated with substances that can affect your health.

Regularly inspect your well

One way to prevent contamination is to keep your well in good condition. If there are cracks or openings, contaminants can enter directly into your well water. Inspect your well at least once a year to confirm that:

Figure 1
Figure #. Text version below.
Figure 1 - Text description

A diagram of a well showing a well cap above ground, on mounded earth with no pooling water. Underneath, in the earth, the well extends through layers of soil to reach the groundwater. As the well extends through the soil, it has an annular seal and a casing. A pipe extends down the well and is attached to a pump that reaches the water.

If there are any signs of damage to your well, get it repaired or replaced as soon as possible. Reach out to a licensed well contractor for more information.

Potential sources of contamination

The quality of your well water is influenced by the surrounding environment. As a result, your water quality can be affected by activities and land use near your well or property.

Common sources of contamination that you might have on or near your property include:

New activities, previous land uses, changes in land use, or unexpected events near your well and property can impact the quality of your well water. This could include:

Contaminants from further away can reach your well:

Paying attention to any changes will help you spot concerns, investigate and get proper help protecting and maintaining your well.

A change in the colour, taste or smell of your water could indicate a change in water quality. Test your water for chemical and microbial contaminants and reach out to your local public health unit or drinking water authority to address any concerns.

How to prevent contamination

There are many ways that you can minimize the risk from potential contaminants on your property:

Avoid the use or storage of fertilizers, herbicides, fuel, oil or chemicals near the well:

Make sure that any oil, fuel and gas is stored properly. Check the containers are in good shape and not damaged:

Properly seal any wells that aren't in use anymore:

Septic systems

Septic systems are a common source of contamination and can introduce disease-causing bacteria, protozoa or viruses into your drinking water. Here are some steps you can take to properly use and maintain your septic system to prevent contamination of nearby groundwater.

Table 1: Dos and don'ts of septic systems

Do Don't
  • Have your septic tank pumped when one third is filled with solids, about every 3 years.
  • Build your well and septic tanks far enough apart.
  • Minimize the amount of water that enters the septic tank.
    • Use low flow faucets, showerheads and toilets.
    • Repair any leaks right away.
  • Keep livestock, plants and trees away from the system.
  • If your septic system has effluent filters, check and clean them regularly.
  • Dump household liquids down the drain. These can kill the microorganisms needed to break down organic matter in the waste water. Household liquids include:
    • solvents
    • medicines
    • chemicals
    • cooking oils
    • cleaning products
  • Flush solids down the drain as they cannot be broken down. This includes:
    • plastic
    • diapers
    • cat litter
    • food waste
    • sanitary products

When a septic system is working properly, it can break down organic matter in waste water. The effluent is then released into the surrounding soil where it's treated further.

However, if a septic system is too close to the well or isn't functioning properly, the effluent won't be treated enough before it reaches your water supply. This can make groundwater sources unsafe for consumption unless proper treatment is installed.

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