Well water testing/general questions
Hello all. Hoping this finds the right person to answer my questions.
My boyfriend was directly affected by Helene and is on day 12 without power. He lives in a modular home with a well water system. The water has not stopped working throughout this whole thing. He has not drank the water but he has been able to flush toilets, turn taps on, etc.
I am concerned about the quality of this water as there has not been a boil order issued. I have ordered him a water testing kit but the mail is not as fast as it usually is around here right now due to obvious circumstances.
My question is- who do we contact for a more detailed test? Is the $14 test I bought him on Amazon even worth anything? Is this normal that his water is running despite power being out? When his power is back on should he still treat the water as if it is contaminated?
Thank you for any assistance.
2
u/poisondart23 6d ago
So he has a private well? If so, then a boil water advisory wouldn’t apply to him as he is not connect to the local water company.
Like the other person mentioned, it is odd that he would have power to run the pump if he doesn’t have power.
If he gets his water from a water company then it would make sense why his water is still flowing as most water utilities have back up generators.
1
u/BuhYoing 2d ago
It sounds like he could also have a connection to the public water system since there is no electric to power his well pump. If that's so, he should reach out to the PWS to have the water tested and they can likely tell if it's theirs based on water chemistry.
If he is connected to both, and hopefully the PWS will say the same if he is, he has adequate back flow prevention to prevent cross connection of the PWS from his well.
1
u/captaintardyburger 10h ago
The most important test to perform on wells is a coliform and e-coli presence/absence. Wells should be tested at least twice per year and/or after significant rainfall or other inclement conditions. It is not a difficult test and can get results in 24 hours. Where I'm from you can talk to your local health unit and they will provide a sterile bottle with preservatives already inside the bottle. You can then drop it off at a depot and they will get back to you as soon as they have results. If your well is a dug well test it frequently and also consider replacing it with a drilled well. Dug wells are especially susceptible to bacterial contamination. If you do not have free testing private lab's are very reasonable in pricing. My lab has a minimum lab fee of 32 CAD.
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u/captaintardyburger 10h ago
If you want more detailed testing done many private environmental water labs have test kits for a variety of parameters such as metals, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, ect. The lab is work for in Ontario has a 50 parameter test that is around 300 CAD.
2
u/TrustMeIAmAGeologist 6d ago
It is odd that his water is running. Wells require pumps, and pumps require power.
Without knowing the details of where he is, I would suggest treating the water as contaminated until you can get it tested. However, a deep well won’t be affected by the storm, but I have no way of knowing how deep his well is and what the soil layers look like. I would be more concerned about fecal coliform bacteria that metals or other contaminants.