Does Your Home's Well Water Need Treatment? What You Should Watch For

When you own a home with well water on the property, maintaining that well water so that it remains safe to drink and use is essential. Unfortunately, many people don't understand how best to care for their well, so they inadvertently end up overlooking some of the key signs that their well water needs treatment. If you want to ensure that your home's well water is always safe to drink, here are some of the situations you need to be attentive to.

Heavy Rain

Especially in the spring and summer, heavy rainfall can be a serious problem for your well. You may think that rainfall is a good thing since it replenishes groundwater, and that is true. However, that's not all it does. Heavy rains produce runoff, which soaks into the ground and your well.

The warmer months of the year are the peak growing season in much of the country. As a result, you will find that fertilizers and pesticides used in the fields can also be carried by that runoff, contaminating your well water in the process.

The same holds true if your property is surrounded by any kind of livestock farm. Livestock farms mean livestock waste in the pastures, so you'll need to be attentive to any possible heavy rain runoff in that case as well. It's best to have your well tested and seek well water treatment after any kind of excessive rainfall.

Septic Problems

Most homeowners who are on well systems are also relying on septic tank systems for their wastewater. If you have a septic tank, you'll also want to be mindful of well water treatment any time your septic system backs up or the drain field floods.

Your home's well should be placed an adequate distance from the septic system infrastructure, but it's always best to err on the side of caution with things like this. The contamination from septic wastewater is a serious concern, and it is one that you shouldn't take lightly.

Salt Accumulation

In areas where the winter months bring snow and ice, road salt is often used to treat the ice and slippery conditions on the roadways. As the snow starts to melt, that salt is carried with it, soaking into the groundwater as well. If you live somewhere that's prone to heavy snow and ice, you need to be mindful of those salt treatments.

If there are any roads near you that are treated with salt through the winter, make sure that you have your well tested at the beginning of spring, after all of the snow has melted. Your well water treatment technician can tell you if you need to have a treatment to address salt concentration.

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