Safety measures for people who use Private Wells by Peter Duivenvoorden

There are so many factors that could contaminate our drinking water, regardless of the source or where we get our drinking water, from rivers, lakes, underground aquifer, public water utility, and a well. Exposure to drinking water that is polluted can cause us different health problems. Here are some safety tips for family who uses private wells as their sources of drinking water. Check out how old your well, know the depth and the length of the pipe inside the drilled hole and also check out the water supply problems in your area. You can protect your water supply by yearly testing it for bacteria. Find out when is the last time it was tested for contaminants. Know what test was conducted and write down the results for record purposes. Any water testing, maintenance, repairs and service should be recorded. Keeping records of your water system will help you for future reference. Make sure that you check your well casing and the strength of your well cap. You can also consider replacing your well cap with a new style cap made to protect against rodents and bugs. Also keep weeds away around the well case to minimize insects. Test your water right away once you notice changes in its color, odor and taste. Ask help from your local health department. If your water is contaminated find out the source, fix the problem and do water testing again to make sure its safe. Keep all chemicals, septic tank and pets away from your well. Always make sure that the area around your well is clean.