contaminated well...

[Splaker]

If suspect there's a failing septic system in the area, notify the health unit. Your complaint is kept confidential and don't view it as "ratting" on someone. Its everyone's groundwater and YOUR health you need to protect. Failing septics are no joke. The homeowner with the failing septic will not get fined or charged; they will be given a short timeline to make it right.

So would a foul odour emanating from a particular property be a tail tale sign of septic failure?

[ninepointer]

So would a foul odour emanating from a particular property be a tail tale sign of septic failure?

You said a neighbour has noticed the guy's property stinks badly, especially in the summer. A failing septic has a very distinct smell from anything else. A working septic has no smell at all, ever. You're already dealing with the health unit; if you suspect a source of contamination, they will want to know about it.

[Species8472]

So would a foul odour emanating from a particular property be a tail tale sign of septic failure?

Quite possibly but not certainly. If the smell is accompanied by an area that is perpetually wet even in the summer than probably.

Regarding separation distances:

- Drilled wells must be 15m (50 feet) from any part of yours or anybody's septic system.
- Dug wells must be 30m (100 feet) from any part of yours or anybody's septic system.
- Stick up above grade must be 45cm (18 inches).
- Grading must direct surface water away from the wellhead.

These requirements are governed by provincial regulation (Reg. 903 of the Water Resources Act).

Regarding your test results. A few questions:

What fixture did you take the sample from?
Did you remove the aerator and gasket if there was one?
Did you disinfect the fixture prior to sampling?

The reason for these questions is that often a fixture can be locally contaminated from the type of use it receives. An example is a kitchen sink where raw meat is handled can return false positives due to splash back onto the fixture.

Also does your well have a vermin proof cap? Many times insects or even mice can cause bad test results when they look for a place to hide out.

Is your well an overflowing artesian well? If it is and it has a flow to waste line this could act as a contamination route during periods of use that cause the well to stop overflowing.

As for your UV without knowing the model and alarm condition indicated the problem could be sensor, lamp or ballast related. Your ballast should last more than 4 years unless plugged directly in (no surge protector or UPS) and it was hit with a brown out or surge.

[Splaker]

Quite possibly but not certainly.

Regarding separation distances:

- Drilled wells must be 15m (50 feet) from any part of yours or anybody's septic system.
- Dug wells must be 30m (100 feet) from any part of yours or anybody's septic system.
- Stick up above grade must be 45cm (18 inches).
- Grading must direct surface water away from the wellhead.

These requirements are governed by provincial regulation (Reg. 903 of the Water Resources Act).

Regarding your test results. A few questions:

What fixture did you take the sample from? Kitchen
Did you remove the aerator and gasket if there was one? No, could not be removed.
Did you disinfect the fixture prior to sampling? Yes, with alcohol

The reason for these questions is that often a fixture can be locally contaminated from the type of use it receives. An example is a kitchen sink where raw meat is handled can return false positives due to splash back onto the fixture. I realize this could happen, but e-coli is feces bacteria, correct? How could this have entered the analysis?

Also does your well have a vermin proof cap? Many times insects or even mice can cause bad test results when they look for a place to hide out. It's covered pretty well, but it's possible something could enter...

As for your UV without knowing the model and alarm condition indicated the problem could be sensor, lamp or ballast related. Your ballast should last more than 4 years unless plugged directly in (no surge protector or UPS) and it was hit with a brown out or surge.

Should I add the surge protector?

[Species8472]

Should I add the surge protector?

I would. Cheap insurance and one less variable.

I would try taking a second sample from a fixture that has no aerator. Rubbing alcohol applied to the exterior of an aerator will not penetrate the biofilm that is often present inside an aerator. The best fixtures are often exterior hose bibs or laundry sinks (if fixture is metal). No aerator (or easily removed in the case of laundry) and you can heat them with a torch (metal only) to ensure they are disinfected prior to sample collection.

E. coli is not fecal coliform but it is associated with fecal contamination as it comes from the intestinal tract of many different species. Taking a sample from a kitchen fixture without a removable aerator is a prime candidate for a false positive. When I say false positive I mean that the source of bacteria is not the well. The bacteria comes from years of food preparation and splash back. Raw meat (and even vegetables) is often contaminated with both e. coli, total coliform and fecal coliform during the processing stage. Ground beef is especially bad for this.

Regardless get the UV running. If a second sample confirms the results you may want to test for Nitrate and Nitrite as they could be present in problematic concentrations. You would need a private lab for this analysis (Maxxam in Mississauga does it) as the health unit doe not do this.

[Species8472]

In the event that you eliminate all sources other than actual contamination of groundwater than you will probably want to replace your UV altogether as virtually all UV units that are pedaled for residential use are not rated for primary disinfection. If you read the fine print in the manual it will state somewhere that the unit is for use with water that is microbiologically safe in the first place. This is not to say that it won't control some nuisance bacteria but it is not certified to produce microbiologically safe water. If you go this route you will want to find a unit that is certified to the NSF 55a standard.

Another concern is that if the source of bacteria is actually sewage than there will be viruses in the water such as Rotavirus and Adeno virus. These guys are pathogenic and essentially immune to UV at the doses applied by conventional units. Even if your water is testing 0,0 for EC and TC after the UV, these guys will survive and not be detected in the testing.

Now for the good news. My experience has been that a properly constructed (meets the Reg 903 requirements) drilled well with a vermin proof cap is rarely contaminated with sewage. More often it is a well cap issue or contaminated fixture that can be easily resolved.

[Splaker]

In the event that you eliminate all sources other than actual contamination of groundwater than you will probably want to replace your UV altogether as virtually all UV units that are pedaled for residential use are not rated for primary disinfection. If you read the fine print in the manual it will state somewhere that the unit is for use with water that is microbiologically safe in the first place. This is not to say that it won't control some nuisance bacteria but it is not certified to produce microbiologically safe water. If you go this route you will want to find a unit that is certified to the NSF 55a standard.

Another concern is that if the source of bacteria is actually sewage than there will be viruses in the water such as Rotavirus and Adeno virus. These guys are pathogenic and essentially immune to UV at the doses applied by conventional units. Even if your water is testing 0,0 for EC and TC after the UV, these guys will survive and not be detected in the testing.

Now for the good news. My experience has been that a properly constructed (meets the Reg 903 requirements) drilled well with a vermin proof cap is rarely contaminated with sewage. More often it is a well cap issue or contaminated fixture that can be easily resolved.

Wow, lots of info... now i'm concerned that our UV bulb will be useless once we get the ballast fixed.. Who sells the NSF 55a standard?

I am going to take another sample tomorrow morning. From two sources other than the kitchen without screens.

I hope you're right and its just the kitchen aerator screen that has traces of bacteria. Not sure if I mentioned it but the test said "overgrown" meaning it haas very high levels of contamination.. too high to attach a figure to.

What a headache!

[Species8472]

Wow, lots of info... now i'm concerned that our UV bulb will be useless once we get the ballast fixed.. Who sells the NSF 55a standard?

I am going to take another sample tomorrow morning. From two sources other than the kitchen without screens.

I hope you're right and its just the kitchen aerator screen that has traces of bacteria. Not sure if I mentioned it but the test said "overgrown" meaning it haas very high levels of contamination.. too high to attach a figure to.

What a headache!

Overgrown often indicates a problem in the sample collection process somewhere as even water collected from known contaminated sources is usually quantifiable. For example samples from Toronto beaches are usually quantifiable.

As for the NSF 55a thing I would wait as I may have been premature in saying "probably replace." Your existing unit may be fine it likely is just not certified to be fine. I would get it running and than chlorinate all the plumbing in the house. If you add chlorine to the well this will not be a true test of the UV unit as you will kill off anything in the well and there will be nothing for the UV to deal with. If possible add the chlorine to a filter housing upstream of the UV and than flush at every fixture until you can smell it. Than continue flushing until the smell is gone. Wait a few days and resample. These results will tell you if the UV is managing any bacteria getting introduced upstream of the unit. If it is not dealing with the bacteria than for the interim start shocking the well regularly and look into an NSF 55a unit.

Any water treatment place should be able to provide you pricing and if they can't or don't know what NSF 55a is than I wouldn't deal with them anyways. A word of warning they are not cheap - 2K and up.

This is a list of approved models published by NSF (Class A and B models shown - A is the class for primary disinfection). Class is on the right. Some of the lower flow models are probably less than the 2K I mentioned above.

http://info.nsf.org/Certified/DWTU/L...?Standard=055&

[Splaker]

Overgrown often indicates a problem in the sample collection process somewhere as even water collected from known contaminated sources is usually quantifiable. For example samples from Toronto beaches are usually quantifiable.

As for the NSF 55a thing I would wait as I may have been premature in saying "probably replace." Your existing unit may be fine it likely is just not certified to be fine. I would get it running and than chlorinate all the plumbing in the house. If you add chlorine to the well this will not be a true test of the UV unit as you will kill off anything in the well and there will be nothing for the UV to deal with. If possible add the chlorine to a filter housing upstream of the UV and than flush at every fixture until you can smell it. Than continue flushing until the smell is gone. Wait a few days and resample. These results will tell you if the UV is managing any bacteria getting introduced upstream of the unit. If it is not dealing with the bacteria than for the interim start shocking the well regularly and look into an NSF 55a unit.

Any water treatment place should be able to provide you pricing and if they can't or don't know what NSF 55a is than I wouldn't deal with them anyways. A word of warning they are not cheap - 2K and up.

This is a list of approved models published by NSF (Class A and B models shown - A is the class for primary disinfection). Class is on the right. Some of the lower flow models are probably less than the 2K I mentioned above.

http://info.nsf.org/Certified/DWTU/L...?Standard=055&

Thanks for all your help/info

I will be posting an update soon...

[Splaker]

So if my my kitchen faucet is "contaminated" from food contact, what can be done about that? does that put us at risk? I'm thinking a regular cleaning regiment whereby I spray a solution of bleach and water (10% bleach?) directly into the screen/nozzle, and in and around the general area.