How Environmental Health Affects Your Well

When you live in the city, you rely on the municipal water treatment processes, but when you own your own private well, you depend on the natural groundwater in your well’s aquifer. If the well or the aquifer itself becomes polluted or depleted of water, your well won’t provide healthy drinking water anymore. So the health of the environment can directly impact your well.

Here are some of the ways that the health of the planet and the health of your drinking water are connected.

Less Pollution Means Cleaner Well Water

Your local watershed is the area of land where surface water collects to drain off into a body of water. Although surface water may not sound like it directly affects groundwater, some of the surface water will actually filter down through the ground to your aquifer (the source of water underground that supplies your well).

Filtering down through the topsoil tends to remove a lot of pollutants from water, but the more polluted the surface water is, the more likely some pollutants, such as nitrates, will make their way into the aquifer. If this occurs, you could end up needing water filtration equipment or even a new well.

So disposing of chemicals correctly, reducing pesticide and fertilizer use, and otherwise caring for your watershed and local ecosystems can be beneficial to your personal water supply.

Water Conservation Preserves Your Aquifer

Did you know that each aquifer has a limited supply of water? If the water in the aquifer becomes too depleted, your well could even run dry. So water conservation isn’t just about saving the planet in a general sense; when you have a private well, water conservation can be a very real way to ensure that you don’t run out of water.

Some wells are more likely to run dry than others. Talk to your well contractor about your well’s capacity and how you can keep your well from running dry. In some cases, you may need a deeper well. If the aquifer itself is at fault, ask about strategies to reduce your water usage overall.

Eco-Friendly Wastewater Processing Reduces Groundwater Contamination

Another way you can help the environment is to use a well-kept, eco-friendly wastewater processing system. For instance, if you have a septic system, you need to ensure that it’s well-maintained and far enough away from your well. This allows the system to thoroughly process out pollutants rather than releasing them into the groundwater and your well or aquifer.

Some of the pollutants commonly found in septic systems that you need to keep out of your aquifer include:

• Bacteria
• Viruses
• Protozoa

If you do have a well-kept septic system, though, you should feel good about your wastewater’s environmental impact. Well-kept septic systems are considered a more eco-friendly way to deal with wastewater than municipal sewer systems.

Natural Disasters Can Damage or Pollute Wells

As climate change increases around the world, more storms and natural disasters occur. Hurricanes, floods, or other disasters could flood your well, which will make the water unsafe and require well treatment. Other natural disasters, such as earthquakes, can also cause damage and contamination.

While living an eco-friendly life won’t directly cause fewer storms to hit your home, this is another way that the overall health of the planet can directly affect your well water. In addition to living a green lifestyle, you should discuss with your well contractor how to protect your well from floods and hurricanes.

As you can see, environmentally friendly living isn’t just about the future. Some of the results can affect your well water now, either directly or indirectly. If you need more information on how to keep your well healthy, or if you have a concern or problem with your well function or well water, contact Bruce MacKay Pump & Well Drilling Service for expert well service.