Georgia is blessed with plenty of cool, clean groundwater. About
95 percent of rural
Georgians depend on it to supply their drinking water and farm
needs.

If they’re careless, though, they can let contaminants get into
the water.

“The well’s condition and nearness to contamination sources
determine the risk to the water
you drink,” said Tony Tyson, an engineer with the University of
Georgia Extension Service.

A water quality expert, Tyson knows a private well is a poor
place to let down your guard. “A
spill of contaminants near the well could pollute your family’s
drinking water supply,” he said.

The most common problems in the rural water supply, he said, are
poorly built wells that
allow surface water into the well.

“That can be a serious problem when there’s a concentration of
any kind of contaminant near
the well,” he said.

Statewide, two contaminants are the most likely to show up in
rural wells. “Bacteria and
nitrates,” Tyson said, can be released from septic systems,
waste-storage areas, feedlots and
animal yards in amounts that could contaminate your well.”

The best way to keep an eye on water quality, he said, is by
testing your well regularly. When
you do, the problems you’re most likely to find are naturally
occurring minerals.

High levels of such things as iron and water hardness can cause
staining and laundry problems.
But they don’t often affect your health. “They’re just
annoyances,” he said.

Lead is another potential contaminant. It’s almost never in the
groundwater. But it can be a
problem when acidic water passes through the plumbing in certain
old houses.

Many people worry most about pesticides. But Tyson said they’re
way down the list of
contaminants in Georgia. “They’re hardly ever a problem in well
water,” he said.

Testing for them isn’t often practical, since tests can cost up
to $100 per compound. As a rule,
test for a pesticide only if you have a reason to suspect it,
such as a spill near the well.

“You can’t have your water tested for every conceivable
pollutant,” Tyson says. “But some
basic tests can tell whether you have other problems.”

Your county
Extension Service
agent or health department can advise you on the correct
tests
to run.

Have your water tested often, Tyson said, if:

* Someone in the family is pregnant.

* Your family has unexplained illnesses.

* Your neighbors find a contaminant in their water.

* You notice a change in water taste, odor, color or clarity.

* Chemicals or manure are applied to fields within 500 feet of
your well.

Then make sure you know what the test results mean.

“Contact your county agent or another water quality expert to
interpret test results.” Tyson
said. “Many materials, including bacteria and nitrate-nitrogen,
are naturally present in minor
amounts in groundwater. Or they can vary seasonally.”

The keys to safe water, he said, are to be careful around the
well and have your water tested as
needed. Not doing either could mean taking chances with your
family’s health.