WATER TREATMENT

TrojanUVMax™ IHS12-D4 

Most people know someone who has had to drill a new well because the old one "went dry." The cause was a complete mystery and the fact that the driller was able to drill another good well only 50' away raised no questions. The person with the dry well was just glad to have water again.

If theirs was a low yield well, chances are it was the way the well was operated that caused it to "run dry."  Conventional pumping systems remove water from the well until the end use is satisfied, whether that end use is your shower or a storage tank that needs filling. In a slow or low yield well, the water column is constantly being drawn down when demand for water exceeds the rate at which it flows into the well. Pumping water out of a well faster than it comes in is called  Over  Pumping. Periods of extended over pumping increase the rate at which water travels through the ground immediately around the well drawing in sediment that adds cloudiness to the water and may eventually clog the cracks that are the arteries in your water delivery system thus severing the well's connection to the aquifer.

Better described as bio-fouling, the problem popularly known as "iron bacteria" is both complex and widespread. Iron bacteria and other slime producing bacteria produce a polysacaride film that is attached to surfaces with the well. This bio-film has two functions 1) It traps and stores their foods sources and 2) Provides a temporary safe haven if the environment becomes unfavourable. Bio-films, which include living and dead bacteria, their sheaths, stalks, secretions and other leavings, and embedded metal hydroxide particles build up over time to create a problem.

"Iron bacteria" is only one type of bio- fouling among hundreds of bacteria. Manganese and even aluminum bio-fouling is also found in groundwater systems.These bio-films are natural and usually harmless. However iron bio-fouling can be a nuisance as this type  of bacteria uses the iron in your water supply as its food source and deposits the oxidized iron in its bio-film. This slimy red build up will eventually plug the well screen and plumbing in your house An ordinary coliform test will not usually identify the presence  this type of bacteria. Direct observation under a microscope or a BART test (Biological Activity Reaction) are two methods to identify this bacteria.

 

If iron bacteria is present, the well should be checked periodically and a maintenance routine established to control the iron bacteria growth. Unfortunately only physical scrubbing along with chemical treatment will remove the bio-film build up within the well. 

EDS Pumps has the right equipment and experience to keep your well healthy and performing.

for more information contact our staff for an evaluation of your well.