PROTECT YOUR WELL

WHY SHOULD i BE CONCERNED?

Many rural residents obtain their drinking water from a private well.  Although community wells are regulated and tested by state and county agencies,  it is the responsibility of the  rural well owner / user to assure that  private wells  are free of contaminants.  ​Ironically, wells are often the most direct route for pollutants to get into our groundwater.  Therefore, the best way to protect our drinking water is to remove threats from surface pollutants. ​
To protect your family and small acreage from pollutants in your well water:
  • ​Test your well water regularly and follow up on any concerns.
  •  Check the condition of the wells on your property.
  •  Protect your well from possible sources of contamination .
  •  Keep good records.
Click on the tabs below to learn more.
  • TESTING & TREATING YOUR WATER
  • RISKS TO YOUR WATER
  • WELL CONSTRUCTION
  • UNUSED WELLS
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TESTING & TREATING YOUR WATER

In Utah, assuring that your private well water is safe to drink is entirely the responsibility of the individual well owner.  This is a critical step in protecting your family from water contaminants.  Once contaminated, well water can be very difficult and expensive to clean up.   

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test your water

Owners of private wells are responsible for testing their own water! Test your existing well water annually.

TESTING YOUR WATER

Test your water annually for several years to establish a good baseline for your water (especially if the well or property is new to you).  Some simple guidelines and links to more information: 
  • At a minimum, test your water annually for E. coli bacteria and for nitrate.  You cannot see or smell these contaminants but both are health concerns. 
    • E coli in your drinking water indicates that you and your family are at risk from harmful microorganisms such as disease-causing bacteria, viruses or parasites.  Click here for more information and for treatment options.
    • Nitrate concentrations greater than 10 ppm can cause “blue baby syndrome”, a dangerous condition for babies and pregnant and nursing mothers.  High nitrate concentrations can also harm cows and other livestock.  Click here for more information.
  • Regularly test for elements that may affect the taste, odor, or color of your water or may damage your pipes or pumps, including:  corrosivity, hardness based on calcium and magnesium, pH or alkalinity, chloride, iron, sodium fluoride, sulfates, electrical conductivity, and total dissolved solids (total salts). 
  • Finally, you should check with the Utah Division of Drinking Water or your local health department to identify any specific contaminants that have been found in local groundwater. These may include heavy metals such as arsenic, uranium, lead,  volatile organic chemicals, and pesticides that are used in or near your home. 
The results will help you protect your plumbing and other well infrastructure from damage, and will help you identify the best water treatment options for your water. 

  • Repeat these tests if your water changes (becomes turbid, stained, or more corrosive) or if land uses around your property change (up-gradient livestock, pesticide spraying, new development, etc). 
  • You may have wells on your property that are used for livestock watering or for irrigation.  Check here for tests to assure that this water is safe for these purposes.  NOTE:  CSU’s WQ Interpretation tool provides help with Utah livestock recommendations.

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KEEP GOOD RECORDS​

  • Keep good records on water quality test results and any interpretative information
  • Record the dates and results of maintenance on your well and pump.
  • Record any other well problems and corrective measures.
Click here for an easy-to-use file system to keep your records organized.  ​

what type of treatment is needed

 ​The following pollutants are health hazards and must be treated for the safety of your family. If you cannot successfully remove these pollutants, you should find an alternative source of water. See the USU Extension Drinking Water Treatment Systems Fact Sheet for more information on the solutions below.
CONTAMINANT OR PROBLEM
POSSIBLE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM
SOLUTIONS
​Arsenic 
​Naturally occurring in water in some areas 
Reverse osmosis; ion exchange 
​Bacteria 
Well not sealed; sewage, manure or surface runoff 
Remove source of bacteria; chlorination; ozonation; UV disinfection 
Lead
Corrosive water, lead pipes or lead solder 
Replace plumbing; reverse osmosis; distillation 
​Nitrate
​Well not sealed; faulty septic system; animal waste; fertilizers 
​Remove source of nitrate; distillation; reverse osmosis; anion exchange (water softener) 
Pesticides & Organic chemicals
Use of pesticides, chemicals near water source 
​Activated carbon filter; reverse osmosis; distillation 
​The contaminants below are not health hazards, but you may choose to treat because of aesthetic reasons.
CONTAMINANT OR PROBLEM
POSSIBLE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM
SOLUTIONS
Bad odor, color, taste
​Variety of sources 
Ion exchange; activated carbon filter; chlorination 
Cloudy or dirty water
​Fine sand, clay, or other particles 
Mechanical filter 
​Hardness
Naturally occurring minerals in water 
​Ion exchange (water softener) 
Rotten egg odor 
​Hydrogen sulfide gas 
Chlorination and activated carbon filter 
​Staining of sink and/or laundry, from iron or manganese 
Naturally occurring in water, especially deep wells 
​Ion exchange or green sand filter (0-10 ppm); chlorination and filtration (if over 10 ppm) 

RISKS TO YOUR WATER

This section will help you identify threats of contamination of an existing or proposed well due to its location relative to possible pollution sources. 
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Existing wells were often located according to traditional practices.  As land uses have changed on your property and on properties near you, the well site may no longer be ideal.  Changing the location of an existing well can be expensive but you should at least evaluate the risk to your family and operation of leaving the well in its current location.

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distance your well from contamination

Provide the most separation possible between your well and any potential contamination source, especially if your homestead is located in an area where the dominant soils are highly permeable, or if the contamination source or activity presents a high risk of contamination.

Locating a well to protect your water

Wells located in pits or low lying areas can allow contaminated surface water to drain directly into the drinking water supply.
​Good: The well is high in the landscape. The surface water drains away from the wellhead leaving little chance of contamination.
Fair: The wellhead is at ground level leaving a moderate chance of contamination from surface water.
​Poor: The wellhead is at a low point of the landscape, which means surface water will run toward the wellhead. This leaves a high chance of contamination from surface water.
fOLLOW THESE PRINCIPLES IN LOCATING A NEW WELL >> +
  • Follow the state and local health department’s recommended minimum separation distances (below).
  • Locate your well on ground higher than surrounding pollution sources such as fuel tanks, livestock yards, septic systems, or pesticide mixing areas. Follow minimum separation distances, and where practical, locate the well as far as possible from pollution sources.
  • If necessary, build soil up around the well so that all surface water drains away from it. Avoid areas that are prone to flooding. Groundwater flow generally follows surface drainage patterns. Therefore, unless you know the exact direction of groundwater flow on your property, locate the well so that pollution sources are between the well and nearest creek, river, or lake.
  • Make the well accessible for pump repair, cleaning, testing, and inspection.
  • Hire a competent, licensed well driller and pump installer. It is best to designate in your contract who will be responsible for disinfecting the new well with chlorine after construction and testing the water (as required by state law).
  • Be sure the contractor provides you with a copy of the well log that provides detailed information about the well's depth, construction, and yield. A thorough and complete well log can help you make future well management decisions and will assure a prospective buyer that the well was constructed properly and can be expected to provide safe drinking water.
SEPARATION DISTANCE FROM POLLUTION SOURCES
Many states encourage good well location by requiring minimum separation distances from sources of potential pollution, thus using the natural protection provided by soil. Utah law specifies the separation distance of only a few potential contamination sources to private wells. The table below shows separation distances required by Utah law and suggested distances from other potential pollution sources. Keep in mind that these are minimum distances.
CLICK HERE FOR UTAH'S RECOMMENDED SEPARATION DISTANCES >>+

utah's recommended minimum SEPARATION distance
between a well & potential homestead contamination sources

DISTANCE
POTENTIAL HOMESTEAD SOURCES OF CONTAMINATION
5 feet
nearest dwelling, property lines
10 feet
​clear water drain, cistern 
15 feet
​sanitary or storm sewer, connected foundation drain 
25 feet
​​sewer lines, nearest stream, lake, pond or ditch 
50 feet
​septic tanks, milk house floor drain, wastewater holding tank 
100 feet
​septic tank drainfields*, livestock pen or yard, manure pile, silo, sanitary or storm 
.
​​sewer, chemical storage
​1500 feet
​uncovered salt or salt mixture storage
WELL DEPTH & SOIL CHARACTERISTICS
Shallow wells draw from the groundwater nearest the land surface and may be directly affected by homestead activities. Rain and surface water that soak into the soil may carry pollutants into the well. Local geologic conditions determine how long it takes for this to happen. In areas with thin soil or sands, over fractured bedrock or over sand or gravel aquifers, contaminants may reach groundwater in weeks, days, or even hours.

On the other hand, if you have a deep well (more than 100 feet below the water table), then the groundwater supplying your well may have traveled a considerable distance underground over a long time, offering greater protection to the well.  Thick clay soils also impede contaminants from reaching the water table which may prevent or delay contamination of a well.
PROTECTING YOUR EXISTING WELL FROM CONTAMINATION
Simply separating your well from a contamination source may reduce the chance of pollution, but it does not guarantee that the well will be safe. Stormwater and groundwater can carry bacteria, oil products, and pesticides from one place to another. Wells located in the path of polluted water run a risk of contamination from overland flow washing into the well. This risk is increased for wells that were not constructed and grouted properly, especially in low lying areas. ​
​New wells are required to meet separation distances from potential pollution sources. If you can't move your existing well, here are a few tips to keep your water safe.
MANURE MANAGEMENT
  • Install concrete curbs to direct livestock yard runoff away from the well.
  • Locate manure piles on impermeable soil such as clay or, better yet, a concrete slab to reduce the chance of polluting your drinking water.
  • Protect manure piles from rain or runoff from building roofs.
  • Prevent pet waste from accumulating near your well head.
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
  • Store and process all hazardous materials (fuels, pesticides, paints, solvents, etc) in secure facilities that are down-gradient from the well.  Use sealed, curbed flooring with secondary containment for storage and handling of all these materials. 
  • Properly dispose of hazardous waste as soon as possible.  Do not store these materials on your property, because leaks in storage containers will allow leakage directly into your soils and water sources. 
  • Reroute traffic areas away from your well.  
​ SEPTIC SYSTEMS
  • Adopt a routine maintenance and management schedule for your septic system.
  • Standing or foul smelling water in your drainfield should be dealt with immediately.  Contact your septic tank installer or maintenance company.
PESTICIDES & FERTILIZERS
  • Maintain a protective buffer zone around your well head to avoid contamination of your well water.  Mow or otherwise remove weeds or excess vegetation by hand, rather than rely on pesticides too close to your well.
  • Always use a back flow prevention device when diluting pesticides or fertilizers.  Keep the hose above the tank water level and never leave a filling tank unattended.
  • Survey the land that drains to your well head, even if you do not own or control the land.  If you identify potential sources of pollution, contact the Utah Division of Water Quality or the county stormwater protection office.  
PHARMACEUTICALS & PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS
Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) include a huge array of prescription and non-prescription medicines for humans and animals, as well as cosmetics, dietary supplements, and much more.  PPCPs improve the quality of our life when properly used, but scientists are now finding that many of these can contaminate our drinking water and natural waters.

Many of these chemicals are not properly treated or removed by septic systems or by municipal waste water treatments.  Do not wash these chemicals down a drain or flush them down a toilet.  Rather, dispose of them through a properly maintained landfill.  ​
USE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PRODUCTS
Household cleaners often contain harsh chemicals that can negatively impact local water quality. The EPA created the Safer Choice label for cleaning products that meet their environmental standards. Look for this logo on cleaning products or check out this website to find a list of qualifying products. Buy only the cleaning products you need and in the quantities that you will use, rather than having to dispose of the excess. 

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mAKE YOUR OWN CLEANING PRODUCTS

Information about making your own cleaning products at home

WELL CONSTRUCTION

Proper well design reduces the risk of pollution by sealing the well from contaminants that might enter it from the surface. The way in which a well is constructed, even if the design is sound, affects its ability to keep out contaminants. Remember that well equipment doesn’t last forever.  Every 10 to 20 years, your well may require mechanical attention from a qualified well driller or pump installer. 

Whether you have an existing well or have a new well, you should understand and regularly check different components of your well system.  Aging, missing, or damaged elements of your well system can put your water at risk of contamination. 

Well age is a major risk factor in predicting the likelihood of drinking water being contaminated. Wells constructed more than 70 years ago are still at the center of many homesteads.​ Old wells may be shallow, dug by hand (with a wide bore hole), and are often surrounded by many potential contamination sources. Check the following components of your well system to make sure you are protected from contamination.  

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fIND YOUR WELL LOG

Well construction information may be available from the person who drilled your well or the previous owner.
The well log  should also be filed with the Utah Division of Water Rights (801-538-7240).
NOTE: If your water is contaminated with certain highly toxic substances, such as benzene, it may be less expensive to construct a new well in a location that can provide uncontaminated groundwater than to attempt to clean up the aquifer you are presently using.

the bore hole

The bore hole extends from the surface to layers of saturated soils/rock below the surface. 
​
DUG WELLS A dug well is a large-diameter hole (usually more than 2 feet wide), which often has been constructed by hand. Many are still in use in rural areas. Dug wells pose the highest risk of allowing drinking water supply contamination because they are likely to be shallow, insufficiently lined, and poorly protected from surface water.

DRILLED WELLS  All other types of wells, including those constructed by a combination of jetting and driving, are drilled wells. Drilled wells for farm use are commonly 4 to 8 inches in diameter and may be hundreds of feet deep.
​

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CONSIDER RE-DRILLING

Consider re-drilling a well that has a large bore or is too shallow.  These represent a significant risk from surface contamination.

well casing

The well driller installs a steel or plastic pipe called casing during construction to prevent collapse of the borehole. The space between the casing and the sides of the hole provides a direct channel for polluted surface water to seep down to the well intake. To seal off this channel, the casing is surrounded with grout (cement or a type of clay called bentonite, depending on the geologic materials encountered). A layer of grout at least 1 1/2 inches thick must surround the casing.

The depth of casing required by state standards (UAC R655-48.2​) depends on the nature of the subsurface geologic materials. ​

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INSPECT YOUR WELL CASING

Use a light to visually inspect the condition of your well casing for holes or cracks at the surface, or down the inside of the casing. You should not be able to move the casing around by pushing against it. 
In areas of shallow fractured bedrock (less than 20 feet from the surface), check on the condition of your well casing by listening for water running down into the well when the pump is not running. If you do hear water, there could be a crack or hole in the casing, or your casing does not reach the water level in the well. Either situation is risky.
  • The casing pipe should extend at least 18 inches above the final grade of the land, and at least 3 feet above the greatest flood level of record. 
  • In unconsolidated formations (sand and gravel), the casing must extend at least to a depth of 18 feet.
  • For rock wells, casing should extend at least 5 feet into the bedrock formation with a minimum total casing length of 18 feet.
  • Older wells are also more likely to have thinned and corroded casing. Even wells with modern casing that are 30 to 40 years old are subject to corrosion and pitting.
WELL GROUTING
Grouting seals off the space between the bore hole and the well casing.
The space between the casing and the sides of the hole provides a direct channel for polluted surface water to seep down to the well intake. Seal off this space around the casing with a layer of grout at least 1 ½ inches thick  grout.  Grout can be cement or a type of clay called bentonite. The best grout is determined by the geologic material surrounding the casing.  If you are unsure about the best type of grout, check with the well driller for advice.  

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INSPECT THE GROUTING

Inspect the grout around your well casing to assure that it is not cracked or separated from the hole or the casing. 
WELL CAP
Well caps are vermin proof and prevents contaminants from flowing into the well casing. 
​
Check the well cap to see that it is in place and tightly secured. The cap should be firmly installed so it prevents the entry of surface water, insects, or vermin.  The cap should not be easily removal by children. ​See Utah well code for all well cap requirements.     
​
If the well has a vent, be sure that it faces the ground, is tightly connected to the well cap or seal, and is properly screened to keep insects out. Any wiring should be in the conduit. 
NOTE:  Some wells may have pumping equipment attached at the surface rather than a well cap. Make sure that this equipment is in good shape and serves the same protective functions as a well cap. ​
PUMP EQUIPMENT & PIPING SYSTEM
The pump equipment and piping system delivers water from the well to your home and facilities.
  • Older well pumps are more likely to leak lubricating oils, which can get into the well.
​All wells should have anti-backflow devices to prevent creating a siphon that draws contaminated water directly into a well.  Backflow or back siphoning can occur when the water pressure in a hose or hydrant reverses the direction of the flow. This commonly occurs when a hose from the well is submerged in liquid and the flow is shut off, allowing some of the liquid to flow back through the hose directly into the well. Anti backflow devices are available at plumbing suppliers and available from irrigation or spray equipment suppliers.
  • Install anti-backflow devices or backflow preventors for hoses used to fill farm sprayers to dilute hazardous chemicals.  ​
  • Contaminated water can also backflow into a well from sinks, washing machines, pressure washers, laundry tubs, and outside hydrants.
  • Water supplies that have cross-connections between them (connections between two otherwise separate pipe systems, such as potable and non-potable) also put your drinking water at risk.​

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INSTALL AN ANTI-BACKFLOW DEVICE

Always use an anti-backflow device when filling pesticide sprayer tanks. Even with such a device, keep the hose above the water level  to prevent the tank mixture from flowing back into the well and contaminating groundwater. 

Unused Wells

Many farms and ranches have unused or abandoned wells, such as shallow wells which were once pumped by windmills at old homesteads. Numerous wells that have been taken out of use as public water systems were developed in rural areas. Most of these wells remain unsealed. No one knows how many abandoned wells there are in Utah, although it is estimated to be in the thousands.
If not properly plugged and sealed, these wells can provide a direct conduit for surface water carrying pollutants to groundwater without filtering through soil, or allow contaminant movement from one aquifer to another.
WELL ABANDONMENT
If not properly plugged and sealed, abandoned wells can provide a direct conduit for surface water carrying pollutants to groundwater without filtering through soil, or allow contaminant movement from one aquifer to another.

Well abandonment must be accomplished under the direct supervision of a currently licensed water well driller. The well driller is responsible to verify that the procedures and materials are in accordance with the Utah Administrative Code. Call your the Utah Division of Water Rights office if you need more information.

Special equipment is often required to remove old pumps and piping and to properly install sealing material inside the well. Use of inappropriate methods or materials can lead to well settling, collapse, and continued groundwater contamination. If plugging materials are improperly installed in a well, it is nearly impossible to correct the defective work.
​
You may not know the history of your property, however, and unused well locations may not be obvious. Pipes sticking out of the ground around the homestead, in an area where a homestead used to be, or under an old windmill, are the most obvious places for finding abandoned wells.  A depression in the ground may indicate an old well. Also, wells were often drilled in basements of houses, under front steps, or near old cisterns.

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CLOSE YOUR WELL TO PROTECT YOUR WATER

WELL CLOSING RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDE: 
  • Remove pump, piping, and any other obstructions from the well.
  • Close the entire length of unused wells with approved materials such as a slurry of neat cement or bentonite clay.
  • The well should be chlorinated before it is sealed. The entire length of the well should then be sealed to prevent surface water from entering the groundwater, and to prevent contamination movement from one aquifer to another.
Utah State University Extension Water Quality
​Utah Water Quality Task Force
Utah Division of Water Quality
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We’ve designed this website for Utah’s small acreage farmers. We hope you like it. We value your feedback, questions and concerns.  Email us at waterquality@usu.edu.