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Well water treatment optionsWell water treatment can be achieved in varieties of ways. There is no specific well water filter that can remove all contaminants in water. Before a well water filter is selected, well owner should perform a test to analyze the specific contaminants in the well by using a state certified laboratory. EPA recommends that well water testing every year for total Coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids, and pH levels, and for other contaminants that may be present. Wellowner.org also recommends that the first step prior to testing is to make sure that the well itself is clean. In fact, some counties provide testing services to residents at a minimal cost. Find out if one is available in your area. For instance, according to Peace Country Sun, the Peace Country Health department in Alberta Canada offers a water testing service to well owners who wish to check the safety of their well water. Residents can have their water tested for bacteriological and chemical content.
Also before considering any well water treatment, testing is recommended first if the following conditions exist in or near homes with well water:
This table was derived from USEPA
Once the contaminants in the water has been determined, it is best to check out different well filter suppliers of well water treatment devices, and different products to see which one will meet your need. If the predominant contaminants are heavy metals, perhaps water filters for heavy metals could be considered. Well water can be treated at the point-of-entry (POE) or at the point-of-use- (POU).  Well water treatment options: Well water can be treated at the point-of-entry (POE) or at the point-of-use- (POU). Well owners may elect to treat the water as it enters the house. In some cases, the combination of POE and POU treatment can be used if desired. For instance whole house iron water filters or whole house sand filters may not completely remove all the contaminants. For instance, an additional POU treatment may be needed to remove other contaminants in order to save money. A POU ultraviolet disinfection or a KDF treatment device may be used at the POU. Water filters specific for heavy metals may also be selected. The most important of all is to ensure that the selected residential well treatment filters are certified by NSF International.
How to remove arsenic in well waterArsenic (As) is a naturally occurring contaminant found in many groundwater both in arsenite and arsenate forms. Arsenic concentrations in rocks, soil, and water range from 0.1 mg/kg to 40 mg/kg. Because arsenic in water has no color, taste, or odor, it must be analyzed in a lab test to determine its presence. Public water utilities have their water tested for arsenic. You can get the results is from your water utility. If you have your own well, you can have the water tested. The local health department or the state environmental health agency can provide a list of certified labs. The cost is typically $15 to $30. Information about arsenic in water can be found on the internet at the US Environmental Protection Agency website.There are two forms of arsenic: pentavalent arsenic (also called Standard 58, the system reduced 0.30 mg/l (ppm) pentavalent. As (V), As+5, and arsenate) and trivalent arsenic (also called arsenic to 0.010 mg/L (ppm) (the USEPA standard for drinking As(III), As+3, and arsenite). In well water, arsenic may be pentavalent, trivalent, or a combination of both. Special sampling procedures are needed for a lab to determine what type and how much of each type of arsenic is in the water. Check with the labs in your area to see if they can provide this type of service. Health Effects of arsenic in water Due to the carcinogenic effects of arsenic, the USEPA revised they maximum contaminant level (MCL) of this chemical from 50 ug/l to 10 ug/l beginning from January 23, 2006. This decrease in MCL means there is likelihood that the existing treatment systems to remove arsenic may not be effective. Is your well water safe from arsenic contamination? If you get your drinking water primarily from the well, do you know if it is contaminated with arsenic? If you are not sure, would you like to find out? USEPA estimated that about 15 percent of Americans have their own sources of drinking water, such as wells, cisterns, and springs. However, individual well water is not regulated and is not monitored like public drinking water systems that serve many people. Therefore, it is left to individual well owners to find out what's in their water, monitor and test its quality. Also, the concentration of arsenic tends to be higher in groundwater sources than in surface water sources of drinking water. In fact, this handy home owner's guide is highly recommended for home owners who would like some basic understanding of drinking water problems. Get your questions answered from a single, handy guide and save time on searching endlessly through the web. How to remove arsenic from drinking water There are several effective technologies that can remove arsenic to meet the EPA standard for drinking water such as reverse osmosis, adsorption column, ion exchange, co precipitation, and distillation. We’ll touch on reverse osmosis (RO) here. RO systems are very effective at removing pentavalent arsenic in well water. However, RO systems do not remove trivalent arsenic in well water. A free chlorine residual will rapidly convert trivalent arsenic to pentavalent arsenic. Other water treatment chemicals (WTC) such as ozone and potassium permanganate will also change trivalent arsenic to pentavalent arsenic. A combined chlorine residual (also called chloramine) may not convert all the trivalent arsenic. If you get your water from public water utility, contact the utility to find out if free chlorine or combined chlorine is used in the water system.
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