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At a minimum, your water should be tested every year for bacteria, the most common water quality problem. Additional tests may be recommended depending on where you live and what may be present in your area such as arsenic, lead, nitrate, and radon.

You should test more than once a year in special situations:

• someone in the household is pregnant or nursing;
• there are unexplained illnesses in the family;
• you notice a change in water taste, odor, color, or clarity;
• your neighbors find a dangerous contaminant in their water; or
• there is a spill of chemicals or fuels into or near your well.

Our wellcare® Well Water Testing and Understanding Your Well Water Test Results information sheets will walk you through the steps you need to take to ensure your well water is safe.

Contact your state or local health department for a list of state-certified laboratories in your area or use our interactive map and watch our new video on How to Sample Well Water.

If you have additional questions on well water testing or need help once you receive your test results, contact the wellcare® Hotline by calling 888-395-1033, send us an email, or chat with us live on our website.

As a well owner, you are responsible for caring for your water well system. Spring is a perfect time to start your well maintenance, starting with well inspection.

Several times each year you should visually inspect your wellhead – checking the well covering and casing to make sure all are in good condition and that there are no cracks or other entry points for potential contamination.

It is recommended that your well is inspected every 5 years by a licensed well contractor. The inspection should include, but is not limited to, the following:

• the wellhead
• the pump
• storage tank
• pipes and valves
• water flow

If you have no inspection record and cannot determine the age of the well, have it inspected immediately by a licensed well contractor. To keep track of your well maintenance, you can utilize our Well Owner’s Manual which has a section for your well maintenance history. To view and download our WOM, click here.

For a list of licensed well contractors in your area, use our interactive map on our website. If you need help locating a licensed well contractor, contact the wellcare® Hotline at 888-395-1033.

This is your annual alarm for well maintenance! Well maintenance is important to make sure your well system lasts for years to come. We have so many homeowners who put off the essential maintenance only to find they need extensive repairs or a new well. Do not wait! The cost of visual inspection and water testing are minimal to what repairs can be.

Here is your spring water well checklist:

Visually inspect your wellhead. Check the well covering, casing, well cap or seal to make sure all are in good condition, leaving no cracks or other entry points for potential pollutants like pesticides and nitrates from a nearby farm and/or livestock field runoff.

Check around your well for overgrowth and make sure the area around the well is free and clear of plants, roots, and leaves, and the soil slopes away from your well.

Keep paint, chemicals, fuel, oil, etc., as far away from the well. They can be a future source of groundwater contamination.

Look for leaks inside and outside your home. Find more tips for finding and fixing leaks on the “Fix a Leak Week” website.

Have the well system inspected every 5 years by a licensed well contractor, including the pump, storage tank, pipes, valves, water level, and flow.

If you have no inspection record and cannot determine the age of the well, have it inspected immediately by a licensed well contractor.

Make sure any abandoned wells on the property are sealed properly by a licensed well contractor.

For more information on well inspection and maintenance download our free Well Owner’s Manual. It is also available in Spanish from the same link. In this publication, you can also find a place to keep records of any water testing and well maintenance. If you prefer a hard copy, send your name and mailing address to info@wellcarehotline.org.

This one is fun for the kiddos and even the big kids!

NOTE: The temperature must be below 32 degrees Fahrenheit for the bubble to freeze, with best results in extreme cold weather 9-12 degrees Fahrenheit.

What you’ll need:

• Bubble solution –  If you can’t find any at the store you can make your own! Combine 4 cups of distilled water, 1 cup of regular Dawn or Joy dish soap, and ¼ cups of glycerin (light corn syrup can substitute for the glycerin). Stir this up well and let it rest for 24+ hours before using.
• Bubble wands (you can also use straws, twisted pipe cleaners, zip ties, etc.)

TIP: Save the homemade solution for other bubble adventures! DO NOT put it down the drain or flush it into your septic system.

Instructions:

1.     Gather the bubble making supplies and wands.
2.     Bundle up and go outside and blow bubbles! The gentler the bubbles are blown, the more likely they will freeze and won’t pop.
3.     Have fun!!!

Adapted from https://www.firefliesandmudpies.com/frozen-bubbles/

Finding extra cash when emergency home repairs occur isn’t easy. Water is a daily necessity that most of us don’t think about. We use it to shower, brush our teeth, wash our hands, flush toilets, water plants, hydrate and bathe our furry friends, make coffee, do laundry…the list goes on and on.

Water Well Trust may be able to help if you’re currently experiencing a financial hardship and need to repair your well or drill a new one. To see if you are eligible for assistance through WWT, start here or call 1-833-539-8200.

When your home is supplied by a private well system, there are additional steps that need to be taken in order to de-winterize your well components. WSC recommends contacting a licensed well contractor to perform the de-winterization process. If you have a plumber who de-winterizes your home, confirm they are also certified in water wells. If you must de-winterize on your own, there are some important things you need to know.

Read through our Winterizing and De-winterizing Your Well information sheet before getting started.

Just keep in mind that there are still a few months until freezing weather subsides. You can find some tips on well system and pipe freeze prevention in our Protecting Your Pipes and Well System From Freezing information sheet.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that has no color, odor, or taste. It comes from the breakdown of radioactive elements like uranium and radium in the ground. The soil under your home releases radon which can make its way through cracks or openings in your home and sometimes through well water. High levels of radon are commonly found in certain kinds of bedrock such as granite and dark shale. Radon can be inhaled when it is released from water while showering, washing dishes, or cooking. It can also be ingested directly through drinking water. Research shows that inhaled radon is the greatest concern as it increases the risk of lung cancer. Drinking water contaminated by radon may raise the risk of stomach cancer.

There is good news though! Radon exposure is completely preventable! Click here to learn more about radon. Find a certified lab in your area for both air and water radon testing.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are a class of chemical compounds that share two main properties:

1. They evaporate easily from water into the air; and
2. They contain carbon.

Low concentrations of most VOCs in water can produce a sweet and pleasant or foul and unpleasant odor that is easily detected. VOCs are associated with products such as but not limited to gasoline, plastics, adhesives, dry-cleaning fluids, refrigerants, and paints. Biological sources of VOCs are from the degradation of organic matter in feed and manure. Crude oil tanking can also release VOCs into the atmosphere.

When spilled or improperly disposed of, VOCs may be released into the environment. Any portion that does not evaporate may leach into the soil and can be carried into groundwater by rain, water, and snow melt. Factors that influence the likelihood of contamination include:

• proximity of the well to the source of contamination;
• the amount of VOCs that are spilled or discarded;
• depth of the well (shallow wells are affected by surface spills more quickly and more severely than deep wells);
• local geology (groundwater that is protected by thick, dense, impermeable soils is less vulnerable to contamination); and
• time (groundwater moves slowly, so it can take months or years after a spill before contamination reaches wells).

You should test your well water for VOCs if it is in close proximity to a gasoline service station or other fuel tanks (500 to 1000 feet), if a spill has occurred on or near your property, or if your water has the taste or odor of gasoline or solvents. Contact your state or local health department for a list of state-certified laboratories in your area or use our interactive map on our website. If you need assistance locating a laboratory in your area, contact our wellcare® Hotline.

Read our information sheet on VOCs & Well Water for more information.

Seasonal Homes: Winterizing Your Well

Most vacation homes and cabins are considered seasonal homes. Some seasonal homes have private water wells that service the home. These types of homes are not designed to be used during the winter due to plumbing systems and structures that are not adequately insulated to withstand extreme cold. When preparing to close your vacation home for the season, leaving the home vacant and unheated, it is imperative to winterize the plumbing to protect it from bursting in freezing temperatures. This process includes going through the steps to winterize your water well.

WSC recommends that you contact a licensed plumber to winterize your home. If you must winterize on your own, follow these steps and instructions.

Year-round Homes: Your Well System 

If you are in an area that tends to reach or has ever had freezing temperatures, you should make every effort to prevent your pipes, well, and well components from freezing. When pipes freeze, the flow of water is completely blocked. Since water expands as it turns into ice, the pipes are very likely to burst. It could also ruin your well pump and other exposed well components. This can be an expensive problem to fix and a disastrous occurrence in the frigid winter months. If your well or pipes freeze, contact your licensed well contractor or plumber as soon as possible.

Help keep your well from freezing with a pitless adapter. A pitless adapter attaches to your well casing to provide a sanitary and frost-proof seal between the casing and the water line running to your home. This device protects the water from freezing and permits convenient access to the well and well components without having to dig around the well. The adapter is connected to the well casing below the frost line, which is the depth at which the ground does not freeze. Water from the well is diverted horizontally at the adapter to prevent it from freezing. Contact your licensed well contractor to discuss installing a pitless adapter. You should also protect your wellhead from getting damaged by snow and heavy equipment like snow blowers and plows. There are existing older wells that are in driveways, close to the driveway, or close to a road. Consider adding a fiberglass driveway marker to help with locating the well. If your well gets covered by snow, you will easily find it and can carefully remove the snow around it.

Freezing temps on the way and no time to make adjustments?

If your wellhead is exposed to outside elements and freezing temperatures are on the way, wrap it with insulation, blankets, towels, or anything else you can find that will not cause damage to the wellhead but can help protect it from the cold.

To learn more about protecting your pipes, pump, tank, and our tips if your pipes or well system are already frozen, download our wellcare® information sheet on Protecting Your Pipes and Well System From Freezing from our website.