Filtration Facts

A Challenging Part of Water Well Ownership: Contamination

It's one version of the American dream: To find the perfect spot of land, far from the noise, traffic, and pollution of city living and build a home.

But man does not live on land alone, so if you want to be able to drink fresh water, wash dishes, flush toilets, etc. you're probably going to have to drill a well. People drill wells all the time, so you have to assume the water must be safe, right?

Think again. If you are under the assumption that purchasing a plot of land and contracting with a builder to construct your home and install a well in any way guarantees your family an endless supply of safe drinking water, you might want to rethink those ideas.

Well contamination is common -- in the U.S. and abroad. And it doesn't matter how old your well is. According to David Hanson, owner of Design Water Technologies, a well servicing company in Shorewood, Minnesota, 95% of the wells his company treats for iron bacteria are less than four years old! An April 2010 article in Water Well Journal advises that homeowners should test annually for well contaminants including coliform bacteria, nitrates and nitrites, radon and even arsenic.

Here are just a few of the contamination stories that made headlines in the U.S. this year. 

• Morrison, Wisconsin. More than 100 wells were polluted by agricultural runoff allowing the seepage of parasites and bacteria into drinking water and causing residents to suffer chronic diarrhea, stomach illnesses and severe ear infections.
• Batavia, New York. More than a dozen residential wells were contaminated as a result of manure spread on nearby fields.
• Chardon, Ohio. Private wells contaminated with unsafe levels of Chloride that came from road salt stored and handled nearby at the township's road maintenance facility.
• Stamford, Connecticut. Residential wells tested positive for unsafe levels of contaminants, including banned pesticides from the '70's, in the soil under Scofield Park in northern Stamford. 

Lack Of Standards For Private Water Wells

"People have this sort of impression that somebody is doing something to protect their water, or that their water is safe," said Sarah Pillsbury, administrator of the Drinking Water and Groundwater Bureau for the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. "That's not always the case."

The fact is, there are no established standards for water quantity or quality for private water wells in most states. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, EPA regulations that protect public drinking water systems do not apply to privately owned wells. In short, well owners are on their own for ensuring that their water is safe from contaminants. For this reason, experts recommend that homeowners have their wells tested at least once a year - particularly for coliform bacteria. If there is concern for more toxic substances, more detailed -- and expensive -- testing can be done.

LAKOS can't help with toxic well contamination. However, if particulate and solids are a problem -- such as excessive sand and sediment -- the company has many solutions for a common, yet costly well problem.

Water Well Filtration Systems Prevents Sand Damage

According to the Water Well Journal, sand in water wells is a "pump killer," because it pits and scars impellers, bearings and other internal parts of the pump. This wears down surface areas and causes a loss of efficiency and ultimately pump failure, not to mention plugging inlet screens to appliances and showers, a situation that John Brewer of Clovis, California is all too familiar with. A LAKOS Pump Protection Separator proved a relatively quick and simple solution for Mr. Brewer's well sand problems.

A LAKOS filtration system can save a homeowner thousands of dollars in repairs for pumps, sprinklers, and appliances. That's one less rude awakening from your American Dream.

FREE Webinar Titled "Pumping Sand"

Are you curious about how sand damage can be prevented in water wells? Want to learn how easily this problem can be corrected and prevented?

Our free webinar titled "Pumping Sand" covers the benefits of a LAKOS water well sand protection system. Watch it today and learn how a sand-free water system can be part of your daily living.  

 

Water Conservation And Pump Filtration Showcased At World Ag Expo

The world's largest agricultural equipment exposition opens next week in the heart of California (Tulare), a battleground for water rights. World Ag Expo -- formerly known as the Tulare Farm Show -- will feature many products and varied opinions claiming to be the best way to make the most efficient use of water. As the demand for water tightens due to population growth and other factors, the challenge to determine the wisest use of that water gets even more difficult. Not just in California, but everywhere.

Everyone appears to be getting into the water conservation movement, from homeowners to farmers, who have always considered water a vital and precious resource. Agricultural use of water is immense, and in the United States the use of water for irrigation is the single largest use in the non-commercial and non-residential sectors. Farm equipment and machinery used to aid in conserving water while still maximizing crop yield can be a big part of the long-term solution. This includes a water handling and delivery system consisting of pumps, irrigation systems, and a combination of filtration techniques and systems to keep everything else operating at its highest efficiency.

Two of the most common water problems on the farm which can be easily fixed with an effective filtration system include:

• Sand in a water well

• Sand in drip emitter irrigation system 

Each of these -- if not corrected or prevented -- will lead to water waste and higher energy usage, as the pumps and valves and other components of the water system are adversely affected by the sand and other solids.

But there are solutions. Solutions to prevent any short-term or long-term drop in water efficiency.

Want to learn more? Download our Water Well Sand Prevention Brochure and read how to keep sand in a water well from damaging your pumps. And see how you can save water and energy at the same time. 

 

Pump Protection Against Sandy Water Well Damage

Sand in water wells will pit and damage pump impellers and bearings. Even though screens and packs and other well development techniques can be used to minimize the presence of sand in a well, some well locations and aquifers are more sandy than others, and sand often makes its way into the well despite these efforts. 

If the amount of sand reaches a certain level, that sand will damage the components of any submersible or turbine pump installed there. As the sand particles accelerate through the pump, they will cause pitting and wear, beginning first with the bearings and then the pump impellers. The pump's efficiency will gradually decrease until it eventually must be replaced.

In the meantime, energy is wasted as the pump's efficiency drops lower and lower, forcing the pump to run longer periods of time to supply adequate water volume or pressure. By the time the pump components finally do wear out and break, thousands of dollars of wasted energy will have been spent.

Pump protection separators operate by preventing the sand from entering the pump, thereby reducing wear to the pump components. This extends the life of the pump and keeps the pump operating longer and at highest efficiency. Read Case Study AB-213 about how a LAKOS Separator helped a large farm extend the life of its' turbine pumps or read Case Study AB-212 about how a municipal water district installed LAKOS Separators to maintain maximum efficiency of its' pumps.

Isn't a small investment in pump protection worth the cure to prevent pump sand damage and SAVE ENERGY?