Keep your well safe

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — Having clean drinking water is an essential part of keeping your household healthy.

In Franklin County, Pa., there are about 150,000 people, and more than 52,000 of them rely on well water. That means more than one-third of all people living in Franklin County use well water.

Penn State Extension has identified five well construction features that are connected with better water quality. The more features your well has, the more protected it will be from bacteria or other contaminants getting into your drinking water. The first two features are only possible to install when the well is being drilled, but the last three are possible to add anytime.

• Case well into bedrock. Well casing is a heavy-duty metal or plastic pipe that is placed into the drilled well hole to give the hole support and act as a protective barrier. Without casing of adequate depth, the well hole could collapse, and contaminated shallow groundwater could leak into your well. Pennsylvania's state laws do not require well casing, but other states with well construction standards, and certain counties in Pennsylvania with countywide well construction standards, require casing to a depth of at least 20 feet. If your casing has not reached bedrock by that point, it should be continued until it reaches bedrock or sufficient depth to produce a good supply of quality water.

• Fill space around casing with grout. Using a tool called a tremie pipe, grout slurry (similar to cement) is poured around the outside of the well casing to hold it in place and seal off all sides. That helps make sure surface water and contaminants can't use the smooth outside of your casing as a pathway into your well.

• Extend casing one foot above ground. Check if your casing is at least one foot above the ground. If it is not, there is a possibility that floodwater could pour into your well. If your casing is lower than one foot, or located inside a pit, it's possible a well driller, well pump installer or plumber can extend it higher.

• Slope soil away from casing. Look at the point where the well casing meets the ground. Is the soil built up around the pipe, or is it level or sloping inward? Sloping the soil away from the casing reduces the probability of contaminated stormwater forming puddles around your well.

• Install a sanitary well cap. Check to make sure a well cap covers the top of the casing where it sticks out of the ground. If the cap is off, damaged or not tightly sealed, there is a pathway for contamination to get into your well. Traditional well caps use side bolts to clap onto the casing. That allows a gap that insects and mice can use to live inside your casing. Sanitary well caps eliminate the gap by using vertical bolts to secure a watertight gasket that is vermin-proof.

While these recommendations don't guarantee that your well water will be safe, they will reduce the risk of contamination. If you have questions or concerns about your well, go to extension.psu.edu; or contact Andy Yencha, the Extension water resources educator assigned to Franklin County, at [email protected] or 717-240-6510.