Very few things feel as refreshing on a hot Indianapolis day as drinking a cold glass of water. Many residents and businesses get water treated and delivered by the city. Some rely on well water as their primary source of drinking water. If you are in a home or a business that uses well water, you may wonder if well water is safe to drink.
Can People Safely Drink Well Water?
With the proper precautions, well water can be safe for drinking, bathing, cooking, cleaning, and more. However, since the water you get from a private well is usually not tested or treated by the municipality, you must take additional measures to ensure the water is safe.
Well water can be susceptible to water quality issues. These range from aesthetic factors to severe problems that could impact your health. Well water needs to be tested regularly, and it often needs to be treated to ensure that it is both pleasant and safe to drink.
Problems That Could Affect the Safety of Well Water
Some of the most common issues to affect well water include high iron content, hardness, and the presence of hydrogen sulfide. It is also possible for well water to have serious contaminants that can hurt your health.
Some of the more dangerous yet common chemicals in well water include arsenic and nitrates. Total coliform bacteria is another thing you will want to test well water for. This could show the presence of harmful bacteria and germs.
Well water could be plagued with organic chemicals and heavy metals, including copper, chromium, lead, and others. If you have issues with your well water or you are concerned that your well water is contaminated, contact us at Cooper’s Water today. We would be happy to discuss water filtration services that may make your water safer and more enjoyable to drink.
Some well water contaminants could impact the health of your family. This is why you must have your water regularly tested. This will allow you to identify issues with the water before it impacts your health.
Health Issues Connected to Drinking Contaminated Well Water
Health issues will vary based on the source of your well water and the contaminants present. Common contaminants, like coliform, nitrates, and arsenic, can present a specific health risk.
Nitrate contamination has been linked to methemoglobinemia, especially in infants fed from a bottle. There is also a link between this water contaminant and thyroid issues and certain types of cancer.
Exposure to arsenic from well water could lead to abnormal heart rates, cancer, and blood vessel damage. Some have experienced issues like severe diarrhea, muscle pain, loss of movement, and nausea.
Coliform bacteria, an extensive collection of various types of bacteria, could cause illness, depending on the variety of bacteria there. Harmful bacteria, such as fecal coliform or E. coli, could enter the water supply and lead to severe gastrointestinal problems.
Well water with a high concentration of heavy metals can be linked to liver damage, intestinal problems, and acute and chronic toxicity. These harmful contaminants could be linked to cancer and anemia.
In addition to the above-mentioned contaminants, other microorganisms could be found in well water that cause infection and gastrointestinal illness. For this reason, you need to take steps to ensure that the well water you drink is safe.
Should I Avoid Drinking Well Water?
While the quality of well water varies from one location to the next, and even though it can change from one season to another because of natural disasters and other occurrences, well water is generally safe to drink as long as it has been adequately tested. You need to have your well water tested if there has been a major flood or land disturbance.
Unlike water from the city, a private well is not regulated. As an owner, it is up to you to conduct tests to ensure that your water supply is safe. At Cooper’s Water, we are proud to offer well water filter systems designed to treat and filter water for things ranging from metals to E. coli to sulfur.
Does Boiling Well Water Make It Safe to Drink?
Boiling water can kill microorganisms. This could be a suitable option during an emergency. However, boiling water is not a permanent solution for contaminated well water, nor is it a substitute for having an adequate well filtration system.
Boiling water will remove and kill living contaminants. But it will not remove nonliving pollutants, like heavy metals and chemicals. When you boil water, pure H2O evaporates, meaning that what is left behind is water with a higher concentration of the metals and chemicals you are trying to get rid of.
Boiling water takes extra time and extra effort. For this reason, it is preferable to have a well water filtration system. These systems can be tailored to meet the specific needs of your well water based on testing results. Well water filtration systems can address the staining caused by excessive iron, the smell of hydrogen sulfide, and the pollutants that make well water dangerous or unappetizing.
Is Well Water Safer to Drink Than Tap Water?
A lot of people drink tap water. There have also been a lot of reports of tap water being contaminated. Is well water safer? It depends.
Well water that does not have pollution is better than tap water. This is because clean well water is weakly alkaline, whereas tap water tends to be more acidic. The human body has stringent requirements for the pH of body fluids. A weakly alkaline environment allows cells to work normally to maintain the body’s vitality.
Since the municipality treats tap water with chlorine, and although this chlorine removes pollutants, the residual chlorine will have a carcinogenic effect. Well water travels through the ground, is filtrated by sand, gravel, and soil, and then reaches the well. So well water that is pollution free is safer to drink than tap water.
Even if your well water looks and tastes normal, there is no guarantee that it does not have chemical contaminants, nitrates, or parasites. Even if your well water has been tested and identified as safe, this does not mean that your well water is safe forever. You must have your well water tested annually and take advantage of well filtration systems to ensure that the water you and your family drink is safe.
Water Quality Experts in Indianapolis
Whether water from the well or tap, Indianapolis is known to have hard water, water softeners from Cooper’s Water can help. At Cooper’s Water, we are proud to be the number one choice in Indianapolis for water quality and plumbing services. Our team has been leaders in the industry since 1980, and you can count on us to provide a wide range of plumbing and water quality services.
Our services include water heaters, sump pumps, drain cleaning, and water softener installation. We offer well water filtration systems, water delivery, reverse osmosis, and iron filtration systems. Contact Cooper’s Water today. We look forward to helping you and your family enjoy safe and clean water.
