Bacteria
Just like any water supply, well water can become contaminated with bacteria. This is why 98% of towns with public water systems chlorinate the water. It is generally recommended that drinking water supply be tested for bacteria once a year. Testing must be done by a state-certified laboratory and usually you will get results within a week. There will be two results listed: coliform and ecoli. The Safe Drinking Water Act requires that both results are no greater than 0 per 100ml.
Coliform bacteria are found in the digestive tracts of humans and other warm-blooded animals. Therefore, if coliform bacteria are found, it is a reasonable assumption that the water supply may be contaminated with sewage. Since there are several waterborne diseases that can be transmitted from contamination, if coliform are found, the water is considered unsafe to drink.
If your well has been contaminated with bacteria, the first thing to try is Shock Chlorinating your well. You can do this yourself, or we can do it for you. Once all the chlorine is out of the well, you can have the water retested. If the bacteria are still present, you can try chlorinating the well again. If the bacteria cannot be eliminated by chlorination, we can install a UV light. This will disinfect the water, making is safe to drink.
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