Hard, Rusty, Smelly Water Problems

All of us have hard water, to one degree or another, whether we live in a home with a private well, community well, or city water. The problem is each one of these water supplies has its own particular water quality issues.

The water chemistry from a private well supply can vary greatly even during the course of one year. The change of seasons at times brings heavy rains, spring runoff from winter snows, and drought conditions. Any and all of these conditions will have an impact on the water chemistry and water quality of your well water supply. Typically the shallower the well supply the more susceptible it is to these changing water conditions but all wells experience changing water tables and consequently a change in the water chemistry. Usually for the worse, unfortunately.

This year (2013) has been a perfect example of this occurring in many wells throughout southeast Michigan. With the drought conditions we experienced two years ago, the water table dropped significantly causing many people to put in new wells. Last winter we had a heavier snowfall than in recent winters past and spring brought almost daily rain showers well into the summer bringing the water tables up to levels we have not seen in many years. This “Water Cycle” brought a significant change to our water tables and in many cases a drastic change in the quality of the water from private and community well supplies.

When such a Water Cycle occurs it is common to have higher Iron, Manganese, Hydrogen Sulfide, and even harder water (Calcium/Magnesium) coming from the well supply. Because of the natural cycle of water, it is recommended to have your water supply tested every few years to see if the water chemistry has changed. If so, what, if any, steps need to be taken to address new water problems that may be found. Private well supplies are also susceptible to bacterial contamination from many sources so it is also recommended to do a Bacteria test on your well supply every few years to assure no bacterial contaminants have entered the well. If a positive test for Bacteria occurs the well can usually be treated to eliminate the problem.

The BIG picture of all this water stuff? Is it overblown at times? Yes. Are there genuine concerns about what is in our water and how it affects us? Yes!

But reassuring ourselves we have good water and it is safe for our families brings us peace of mind, makes our lives easier, healthier, and that we can all use a lot more of!

Good days and Good water to you.