Wells: To Have and To Hold
On November 6, 2010 Criterion Water Labs, LLC attended the Indiana Ground Water Association Conference on Understanding Well Problems.
Mr. Stuart Smith, a Ground Water Science Consultant, presented very important information about wells. Mr. Smith is a hydrogeologist and applied microbiologist. He has over 30 years professional experience in ground water and wells. Two area well drillers that I know attended were:
- Armstrong Drilling, Inc., (765) 566-3362
- Ortman Drilling & Water Services, (765) 459-4125
Criterion Water Labs, LLC highly recommend these companies to assist you with your well water needs.
One statement that Mr. Smith made that really stood out was that widespread understanding of the need to care for your teeth was not in practice in America until World War II. Soldiers were issued toothbrushes and information about the health needs of their teeth. Mr. Smith sees a similar awakening of understanding well needs. Your teeth are a blessing not to be taken for granted. So is your well. In general we probably do not think much about the water coming from the tap until it turns colors, starts smelling or stops coming out. There is preventative maintenance that can be done to avoid some major problems and since our ground water supply is connected to ground water of others around us we must take in to account what we dump on the surface and its effect on soil and water underneath. Likewise, we must understand the best that we can what materials we are putting down into a well.
About 80% of the wells in our county are documented, i.e., they have been listed in a directory when they were dug and how deep. Our home well is not, therefore, any work done on it cannot be guaranteed. Sure, it was probably dug when the home was put in but that was before our time in the home and nothing was recorded about it. We are fortunate that we have not had major problems but when the pump went out we became aware very quickly the need for good information.
Freedom to manage your well and therefore your personal water supply may be dependent upon your understanding of your well and your family’s water needs. This is not an overstatement. It is a truth. Ignorance is not bliss. Water is a very, very, very precious commodity. Many countries do not have the access to direct water supplies – clean water supplies in particular – that nearly everyone in America has. I would like to share with you some of the great information I learned at this Indiana Ground Water conference and also what we are seeing in the lab as we test area waters.
The general thought about underground water was that it was “sterile.” Not true!!! Very few water supplies are “sterile.” Maybe the Dead Sea water – maybe. Even the heavily chlorinated water coming in on public water supplies is not sterile. I can show you plates of bacterial growth from public water supply water. Is this bad? Of course not. It just means there is life in the water. Microbiologists are diligently studying what is growing in water and how to better monitor and identify the organisms. Criterion Water Labs, LLC, are certified by the Indiana State Department of Health to test for total coliforms and specifically E. coli in your water. We are also certified to give you a plate number. We can tell you how many heterotrophic bacteria (general bacteria present in water) are in your water supply. Total Coliforms is a general name for a group of bacteria that show up in soils and/or digestive tracts of warmblooded animals. Some of them can make you very sick but most are completely harmless and in fact necessary for normal active breakdown of solids in the soil and the intestines. The HPC count is a quantitative observation of how “clean” a system is – that includes your pipes. Criterion Water Labs, LLC, is looking forward to studying and understanding a wider variety of bacteria groups that are found in area water as another great IUK intern comes on board in January. We have been blessed to have several great interns from IUK already.
At the conference Mr. Smith said that bacteria have been found 3000 ft. below the earth. Glacial sands have abundant biomass and nitrogen. Upheavals over the centuries have introduced organic material deep underground and these materials introduce bacteria to water supplies. There is not much keeping bacteria from moving through the earth. Now, however, it is true that the soils and sands act as fantastic filtering sieves for water as it moves downward but note that cracks exist above and below ground that open up “roadways” for transport. Microbes traveling through these cracks are like “ships in a canal.” The only thing holding them back is that they like to stick to things. They also like to join together and create colonies. The outer surface bacteria in these colonies can take on different shapes and forms as they adjust to different jobs within the colony. It is amazing stuff!!! Just think of it – a million little bacteria working together to survive in a water supply source deep underground or in an up take pipe. They are capable of transferring information and food resources to one another!!!! Don’t let it creep you out. Rejoice and stand amazed at the incredible intricacy of the world God has given us.
Please appreciate your area well drillers and let them help you understand what can be done to insure that your well will stay in great shape for many years to come.