Applying water treatment to a dug well can be very tricky. Dug wells pull their source from the surface. Seasonal fluctuations in rainfall will cause the water table to rise and fall. The contaminants within the well will often change with the water level. Water Treatment Systems should be oversized to allow for changes in the water quality. It is a lot more practical to plan ahead and be able to adjust for a swing in water quality than it is to be forced to replace existing equipment in hind sight.

Another issue with surface water is tannins. Tannins and Organics come from decaying vegetation on the surface area around the well. They can cause a smell and taste if the levels are very high, and even at levels will often cause water treatment system to fail. The reason for this is that the Tannins will sequester Metals within the water, allowing them to pass through a Water Treatment System. Once the sequestered metals pass through an oxidizer like air in the back of a toilet tank, shower nozzle,bleach in laundry, or heat from a water heater the Tannins/Organics will break down allowing the Metals to precipitate in to a solid that leaves a stain.

So keep the Vegetation surrounding your dug well to a minimum, and think worst case when designing a treatment system for your home. Most importantly enjoy your great water.

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This entry was posted on Friday, June 19th, 2009 at 9:38 am and is filed under Human Concerns, water system tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.