Treating A Well For Total Coliform

They can only be detected through a laboratory test.

Treating a well for total coliform. Many state health departments provide well water sampling kits for the homeowner to test the source of drinking water. Treatment solutions before taking any treatment action the original source of contamination should be determined so changes can be made to prevent the contamination in the future. Once you have determined that your well contains the coliform microbes you will need to chemically treat the water. Testing for coliform bacteria is generally less expensive than testing for other pathogens such as viruses.

Next a hose was connected in a loop from the newly installed valve back to an adapter that squeezed water back into the well down the vent opening on the right of the photo where the bleach went in. The canadian drinking water quality guideline for total coliforms is none detectable per 100 ml. Coli may be warranted. Poor well construction or poor maintenance can increase the risk of groundwater contamination.

How to treat my well water for coliform bacteria i just bought a home on well water and found out the well has coliform bacteria. Generally speaking if your water tests positive for total coliforms but negative for e coli surface water has infiltrated the well. Water containing any form of total coliform should not be used for drinking or cooking unless boiled for 5 minutes. How to treat drinking water for bacteria.

In water coliform bacteria have no taste smell or colour. Because the origins of fecal coliforms are more specific than the origins of the more general total coliform group of bacteria fecal coliforms are considered a more accurate indication of animal or human waste than the total coliforms. University extension offices as well as commercial businesses also provide testing kits for a small fee. Hopefully treating the coliform in the well piping to the pressure tank and the tank itself will take care of the problem.

Recently back in dec of 2014 parkland county leduc and sturgeon county residents using well water were advised by alberta health services to avoid drinking their water due to other sources of contamination. I understand i can use an ultraviolet light filter to kill the bacteria or i can install a chlorinator. If total coliform bacteria are found to be present then additional testing for fecal coliform bacteria or e. If your water tests positive for total coliforms and positive for e coli there s a fecal contamination source which could be a leaking septic system or agricultural runoff containing animal waste.

Research shows that total coliform including e coli is present in 16 1 of private water wells in alberta. If you are thinking of shocking a well for coliform but are intimidated then i hope this article has shown you that it isn t as scary a thought as it seems.