If your home around San Diego draws water from a private well rather than a provider, well water treatment starts somewhere different from treating city water, because there is no provider and no yearly report. The owner is the one who finds out what is in the water.
Who is responsible for a well
EPA is plain about it: private well owners are responsible for delivering safe drinking water to their households. Private wells are not regulated by the federal government under the Safe Drinking Water Act, nor by most state governments. EPA says more than 23 million households rely on private wells, and cites a USGS study of 2,100 private wells that found about one in five had at least one contaminant above a human-health benchmark.
Test first, every year
EPA recommends testing a private well every year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH. CDC gives the same advice: test at least once each year, and more often if there are problems nearby, after any part of the well is replaced or repaired, or if the water’s taste, color or smell changes. Both say to use a certified laboratory. EPA notes the local health department may provide private well testing for free.
- Every year: total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH
- Right away: after flooding, land disturbance, or new construction or industry nearby
- Right away: after any part of the well is replaced or repaired
- Right away: if the water’s taste, color or smell changes
Treat what the test finds
Treatment for a well is chosen after the lab results, never before. The basic advice for any home treatment applies: decide what contaminant you want to remove or reduce, then choose a unit certified to remove that one. A well can need more than one part, each matched to a result.
| Test result | Treatment to ask about |
|---|---|
| Hardness: scale, soap that will not lather | A softener, NSF/ANSI 44 (EPA’s well page lists a softener for hardness) |
| Iron or manganese staining | A filter matched to the result; EPA guidelines 0.3 and 0.05 mg/L |
| Bacteria | Ask a well professional; UV systems have their own standard, NSF/ANSI 55 |
| A contaminant such as arsenic | RO certified under NSF/ANSI 58, which EPA says can potentially remove arsenic |
| Taste and odor | A filter certified to NSF/ANSI 42 |
High nitrates
Do not boil water with high nitrates: boiling concentrates them, as Nebraska’s water and environment agency warns. Follow the lab’s and the health department’s advice.
The well itself
Treatment equipment works on the water the well delivers. Problems with the well, the pump or the pressure tank are a job for a well contractor. Well drilling and pump work is licensed by the state in many places, and your contractor should hold the license your state requires. A water treatment pro and a well contractor can be different people; ask which one you need.
If bacteria turn up
A positive test for coliform bacteria is a reason to act on the lab’s and the health department’s advice. Nebraska’s water and environment agency, in its guidance for well owners, says water can be boiled for one minute in the short term and that a certified well contractor should inspect the well as soon as possible. Find out why the bacteria got in before choosing treatment: Florida’s health department names poorly maintained septic systems, livestock areas, fertilizer and poorly built wells among the ways bacteria and nitrate reach wells.
Planning the system
Once the results are in, a water treatment pro can put the parts in order on the line: what comes first, what needs a drain, what needs power. Ask what each part is certified to, which result it treats, and what upkeep it needs on the maker’s schedule. Then test again after the system is running, so you know it works. See water treatment for matching problems to systems, whole house water filter for the main line and water softener installation for softeners.
Questions people ask
How often should well water be tested?
EPA and CDC both say at least once a year, for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH, at a certified laboratory, and more often after problems, repairs or changes in the water.
Do I need a softener on well water?
Only if the test shows hardness that bothers you. EPA’s private well page lists a softener as the treatment for hardness.
Who fixes the well pump?
A well contractor. Well and pump work is licensed by the state in many places; check that your contractor holds the license your state requires.
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