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| PENPAGES: Factsheets from Pennsylvania State University
News Service -- Radio Rewrite -- 8/7/87 SAFEGUARD WELLS AND SPRINGS FROM BACTERIAL CONTAMINATION One of the most common problems facing Pennsylvanians who have their own wells or springs is contamination of the water from bacteria. Unfortunately is hard to tell when your water is contaminated with something you can't taste or smell. On the other hand it's fairly easy to prevent. Since a well's location determines the quantity and quality of it's water, choose the site carefully. Wells should be located upslope from possible contamination sources and the Department of Environmental Resources has some specific recommendations. For example, the DER says a well should be at least 50 feet away from a storm drain, a sewer or a septic tank. A well should be at least 100 feet from sewage seepage pits and cesspools or subsurface sewage disposal fields. Other sources that may contaminate water are: silos and barns, sinkholes and abandoned wells. In general, the further the well is from sources of contamination, the less likely it is to be contaminated. All wells should have proper casing and grouting so surface water cannot enter and contaminate the aquifer. You should also determine the yield of the well at the time of construction. Disinfect a new well using a procedure called shock-chlorination. Springs can be good sources of water but many do not provide an adequate amount of water throughout the year. They may not be sufficient during times of drought. It is very important to determine the total daily flow of a spring during the dry season before counting on it as a water supply. One other thing...springs fed by shallow groundwater may be easily contaminated by microorganisms and other pollutants from the land surface. For this reason, no contamination sources should be located upslope from a spring and any surface runoff should be diverted away. Put a fence around it to keep any livestock out. If you are going to use a spring as your source of drinking water it is usually necesary to install some disinfection equipment because of how easily a spring can become contaminated. Proper planning when constructing a well or developing a spring can help insure a sufficient water supply. Regular testing of the water is also a good idea. EDITOR: Ellen Lahey PENpage Number: 08301705 Keywords: AG-INFORMATION-NEWS-PUBS, BACTERIA, CONTAMINATION, GROUNDWATER, RADIO, SPRING, WELL תתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתThe National Dairy Database (1992)תתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתת תתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתת\NDB\OCCSAFE\TEXT1\705תתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתתת %f TITLE;SAFEGUARD WELLS AND SPRINGS |
