Positive for coliforms/well water

[Jennie@ifish]

I have been after Bill for years to get our well tested. (nag nag nag... )

I have been sick, more often than not, it seems. Just stomach ickies... all the time. I, of course, drink tons of water, and the boys, not so much. Besides that, I have an impaired immune system still, due to my aortic dissection. Otherwise, seems weird that I'd be sick, but no one else.

Anyhow... I'm SO glad to finally find out, (My doctor convinced Bill to check the water!!!) that there our water INDEED is positive for Total Coliform. It is, luckily, not infected with E. Coli, but it could have been in the past.

What this means, I guess, is that there are some kind of fecal matters in our well, caused by a crack in the well, or a defective well.

Not good news, but the good news, is THANK GOD I can finally get treated, and feel BETTER!

WHOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Anyone knowing about all this stuff, please let me know what you know?

Thanks,
Jen

[Fast Water]

What are the possibile sources of this contimination?

Is that something that can be addressed?

[Chromaflage]

Just curious - who tested your water? Did you only have one test? I too am curious about possible source for choliforms. I know that this is icky, but the person who collected the water sample could have had contamination on his/her hands prior to handling the sample. If you do not have a source of choliform, especially if you are on a well, I would be very speculative of these results. Choliform in a private well is not real common unless you have grazing cattle upgradient from your property.

Another question - where was the sample collected? At the faucet? At the connection to the house? A clean sample at the connection and a contaminated sample at the faucet would tell you whether it's coming from the well.

Jennie, I would have it tested again unless you know of a potential source. That seems real strange to me.

CrF

[Jennie@ifish]

Hmm... Says on the net it's really common. E. Coli, not so, but coliforms, very natural and normal and very common.

Here, read this about wells.

Tillamook Creamery tested it. No one touched it. We were really careful about it but yes, we are for sure having it tested again. This time, out at the hose, like this guy he spoke to on the phone, (some well guy around here) told us to do.

This guy also said that we should run it a minimum of 10 minutes.. (Hey, I don't do that, though, when I drink water...) and that we should cleanse the faucet with alcohol and take out any screen.

We have this green gunky stuff that collects in our water. It's all over inside the drain of our sinks. Yishy stuff. What is that? Just minerals?

Anyhow, it says on the net that this can happen even with decaying plant material, but more likely with say, a mouse in the well house, or a crack in the well, or bad seals on the well motor.

There was a mouse family living in the well. Rats, mice, all over. We have chickens and we feed the birds, so they are prevalent.

J

[Jennie@ifish]

Oh, this guy also said that (did I post this already) that even if Bill breathed on the sample, it could register these bugs.

[Jennie@ifish]

And yes, it can be addressed. I got this PM, too.

I worked for a well pump company for a couple of years. You might want to have your well shock treated then retested. If it's not something that goes away you can have uv system put in that kills it. A local pump company can do all that. Any other question feel free to pm me if I don't know the answer I know people who would.

[garyk]

Has your well been impacted by high water?

After floods, we have to put a bit of bleach down in the well to clean it up.

And then there's always the rodents......

These are the trade-offs when you live where the sidewalks don't go

[Jennie@ifish]

So, Garyk, is it strange, or uncommon? Could this be my illness?

I'm just So tired of being sick that I was almost relieved that there is a name and a cure for it!

Jen

[Jennie@ifish]

Hm... I don't think it's been impacted. It's higher than the river, for sure.

[SouthCoastStu]

You can look up your well log on-line from the Oregon Water Resources Department: http://apps2.wrd.state.or.us/apps/gw...g/Default.aspx
Just need the legal description. This will tell you a lot about your wells construction, i.e. casing type/depth, static water level, total well depth etc. If there isn't a well log on file, I would be suspicious. Not uncommon for a shallow well to have Total Coliforms.

Chlorinating the well at least once a year is a good idea. I've got tables at work to figure how much bleach to add but you will need to know the diameter and depth of water in the well (from the well log).

Have you ever had the water tested? When I work on water systems (mostly public) or construct a new well I always have the full blown tests (Organic Chemical, Inorganic Chem., Microbiology, Physical Properties) done (about $2k). This is not required of private wells, but a good idea. If you want to learn more about contamination and testing here's a link to DHS (Department of Human Services) Drinking Water Program page: http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/dwp/index.shtml There are lists of certified labratories for the various tests.

[Geemo]

SCS, Thanks for the link to the well info.

[Fish_N_Russ]

I would think there in Tillamook area with all the moo-ers around and flooding situation you would almost expect to have coliform in a well.......I would have been surprised if you didnt.

[Go_Getter]

Jennie,

First is it a "dug well" or a drilled well? A dug well has big 36" round concrete well tiles and a drilled well has a 6" steel pipe? submersible pump (down under the water in the well) or jet pump (above ground and sucks the water out of the well)?

Coliform are fairly common in wells. "Green gunky Yishy stuff"? pic please! I don't buy the breathing thing because the report should tell you parts per million + coliform doesn't usually come from the mouth..... and yes they can make you very sick. Until you get this fixed you need to drink bottled water. Check for a distributor in your area and see if you can get one of those coolers with 5 gal jugs....please take this advice!

Most of the time plant matter shows up as tannins not coliform so I doubt this is the cause but there is a possibility.

Yes it is a good idea to have it rechecked. The only reason to let water flow is to be sure there is no contaminates at the spot you are taking the test and to be sure that you get a fresh sample from the well, this will give you your most accurate count on the coliform and type.

I will check back to see if I can help. good luck with this.

[sandman]

Before you goto bed,Dump a gallon of bleach down your well,Use scented .(Flower,lemon)Turn on the faucer farthest away from your well,Once you smell the bleach coming out your faucet,turn it off.The next morning turn all your faucets on until you can't smell the bleach any more.Problem gone

Some wells you will need to do this every year,This is common

[Go_Getter]

Originally Posted by sandman

Before you goto bed,Dump a gallon of bleach down your well,Use scented .(Flower,lemon)Turn on the faucer farthest away from your well,Once you smell the bleach coming out your faucet,turn it off.The next morning turn all your faucets on until you can't smell the bleach any more.Problem gone

Some wells you will need to do this every year,This is common

I would agree with this but before you do it if you can you need to find the source. Just dumping bleach into a well can cause all sorts of problems...the green stuff you talk of concerns me. Also you can kill Iron bacteria in the well and totally clog the entire well if you are not careful, trust me when I say I have seen it! You need to know what you are treating before you treat it. just my

[Jennie@ifish]

Okeedokey. Gosh, you guys are helpful.
I'll have Bill read it all.

Thank you so much!

And believe me, Bill wants me well (pardon the pun), also. He misses his fishing partner!

Jen

[SouthCoastStu]

Here's a table to calculate chlorine/bleach dosage:
Here's a step-by-step procedure for disinfecting a well:
(click to enlarge)

Hope you get it figured out

[sandman]

Coliform does sometimes naturally accure in wells.I have to bleach mine every year.This is the cheapest and best way to fix it.

[Jennie@ifish]

OK. I'll get that picture, too. If I stick my finger down the drain, it coats all sides of the drain. It really IS yishy!

We've lived here for 8 years, and we have never done anything to the well. Is there maintenance we should be doing?

J

[Go_Getter]

1 thing that is really important is the well dug or drilled? This can be very simple as some have suggested or it can be complicated. A second test and maybe post the results, make sure they test for iron, pH etcetera because treating one thing can really screw up a bunch of others if you don't set it up correct.

[Go_Getter]

Originally Posted by SouthCoastStu

Here's a table to calculate chlorine/bleach dosage:
Here's a step-by-step procedure for disinfecting a well:
(click to enlarge)

Hope you get it figured out

Great info SouthCoastStu, I just get really nervous chlorinating a well that may have other problems. If you do and it kills things down there then it can plug it solid and there is hardly no way to clean it out. Most of the time you are right on track but the 1 out of 50 that it wont work on can make a mess. Sometime it is way better to treat the water after it's out of the well. I think a little more info is needed.

[sandman]

Lets just hope she's not the 1 out of 50!I've treated hundreds of wells and have never had the problem you speak of?

[SILVERSINK]

In Dayton I treat our well once a year with bleach, but i was told not to cycle the bleach through the hot water heater. Could this be true or is it a false tip?

[Go_Getter]

A High concentration of bleach is corrosive and could be hard on the internal parts, that would be the only reason I could think of.

Sandman, Most people have never seen it but the well water here on the coast seems to have a lot more impurities in it. I have seen 5 wells go totally bad to the point we needed to pull everything and have a well driller come and clean it out after down hole treatment. Iron was the culprit. On 1 the well went brackish...? never seen that before or again and treating it had nothing to do with that!
If it is a Dug well (there are lots of those on the coast) then no problem at all and she should be treating it I would say 4 times a year at least.

[baltz526]

here is what we do in lapine, pour 1 qt into well at bed time, let sit all night. then in the morning run all taps till you smell bleach, go to work. then in the evening run everything like normal. remember to stock up on bottled water for cooking/drinking it might be 4 or 5 days before it will be clear of bleach. this is how a water well driller with 50years in the buisness told me to do it. almost all wells test positive jfyi

[Jennie@ifish]

We have a drilled well.

Anyhow, the test came out negative this time!

So, the culprit must have been the faucet, or not letting it run long enough.

However, what I find weird is... do I have to run the water that long each time I want a drink???

Jen

[Thumper]

Originally Posted by Jennie@ifish

However, what I find weird is... do I have to run the water that long each time I want a drink???

Jen

This might be useful....


http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/dw/Programs/coliform.htm

[Jennie@ifish]

Yes. I linked that above, didn't I?

I read this part again:

When coliform bacteria is found, steps are taken to identify where the contamination may have entered the water system. More “repeat” samples are collected and an inspection is recommended. Taking repeat samples helps determine whether an actual problem exists in the system. Sometimes a sample shows the presence of coliform because of poor sampling techniques or because a contaminated faucet was used – not because an actual problem exists. If any of the repeat samples detect coliform bacteria, the initial findings are considered confirmed.

I think we'll do one again in a month. I personally think that our faucet was probably dirty. How weird to think of that. It would have never entered my mind! So, we are bleaching all our screens/etc.

Have you bleached your faucet screen today?

[Go_Getter]

Drilled well makes it unlikely that a rodent or anything like it contaminated it, the "green" stuff puzzles me a little. I think you should use SouthCoastStu's Table and treat the well, then check it again in 30 days. It is a little inconvenience (don't do laundry unless you want all discolored clothes) but very worth it. Maybe like others have suggested once or twice a year would be good. A little test I like to do before I treat it is to fill a glass of water and let it set at room temperature for 24 hrs and see what it looks like. I also think it would not hurt you to switch to bottled water for consumption and see if you start feeling better. Keep us posted!

[Chrome Bumper]

We had a 40' well and wound up drilling a 80' one.

First I'de run a second test. Take the hose off the spigot, wipe down with a 200 ppm bleach solution (1/4 oz/ gallon), run spigot some minutes and take a second test. The hose could have been a happy home for the bugs, or Bill was breathing, or something.

Talk with your County health office. They are in charge of that kind of thing. Shock treatments of wells and chlorine feeders are common solutions. All new watermains in public water systems get 'disinfected' with chlorine BTW, pretty routine stuff.

If any question 8 drops of plain bleach per gallon of water and let it set 30 minutes in a closed container will kill the nasties so you can drink it safely.
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/faq/emerg.html

Oh I see you already did get it retested and it was negative.


Copper might leave green stains:
http://www.thewatersite.com/diagnose-your-water.htm

Some minerals are good for you, its not all bad. Minerals commonly found in ground water are often beneficial. Due to you health concerns you may want to get a lab test on the water to see if any of the dissolved minerals are at a level of concern for you.

Make sure the well seal keeps big bugs and mice out. One of those sticky mouse traps should give you a pretty good idea of whats hanging out around your well head.

Being the chief toilet and sink unclogger at home, I would have to say slimey gunk in the drains is normal. City folks probably has less due to municiple chlorine, but stuff lives in there, grease and soap scum collect, and a slimy goop layer is normal.