Assessing Drinking Water Well Condition

About 95 percent of this country's rural residents depend on groundwater to supply their drinking water and farmstead needs. Wells are designed to provide clean water. If improperly constructed and maintained, however, they can allow bacteria, nitrates, pesticides, or petroleum products to contaminate groundwater. These contaminants can put family and livestock health at risk.

There are documented cases of well contamination from farmstead activities near drinking water wells. The condition of your well and its proximity to contamination sources determine the risk it poses to the water you drink. For example, a cracked well casing can allow bacteria, nitrates, oil, and pesticides to enter the well more easily. A spill of fertilizers or pesticides being mixed and loaded near the well could result in the contamination of your family's drinking water supply. Feedlots, fertilizer applications, animal yards, septic systems, and waste storage areas could release nitrates and bacteria in amounts that could contaminate your well.

Preventing the contamination of your well is very important. Once the groundwater supplying your well is contaminated, it is very difficult to clean up. The only options may be to treat the water, drill a new well, or obtain water from another source. A contaminated well can also affect your neighbors' wells and pose a health threat to your family and neighbors.

The goal of ARKANSAS Farm*A*Syst is to help you protect your drinking water supply.

Follow the directions below. Focus on the well or wells that provide drinking water for your home or farmstead.

LOW RISK (rank 4)	LOW-MOD RISK (rank 3)	MOD-HIGH RISK (rank 2)	HIGH RISK (rank 1)	YOUR RANK
WELL LOCATION
Position of drinking water well in relation to pollution sources
Upslope from all pollution sources. No surface water runoff enters well. Surface water diverted from well.	Upslope from most pollution sources. No surface water runoff enters well.	Downslope from most pollution sources. Some surface water runoff may enter well.	Low area near casing. Surface water runoff from barnyard, pesticide mixing area, fuel storage, or farm dump enters well.
Separation distances between well and farmstead contamination sources see Figure 1.
Meets or exceeds all state minimum required separation distances.	Meets most minimum separation distances.	Meets minimum separation distances only for sources required to be at least 100 feet from well.	Does not meet all minimum separation distances for sources required to be at least 100 feet from well.
Soil and/or subsurface potential to protect groundwater
Fine-textured soils (clays or clay loams). Water table or fractured bedrock deeper than 20 feet.	Medium-textured soils (silt loam, loam) with water table or fractured bedrock deeper than 20 feet. Or, fine-textured soils with bedrock shallower than 20 feet.	Medium- or coarse-textured soils (sands, sandy loams). Water table or fractured bedrock shallower than 20 feet.	Coarse-textured soils (sands, sandy loams). Water table or fractured bedrock shallower than 20 feet.
CONDITION
Condition of casing and well cap (seal)
No holes or cracks visible. Cap (seal) tightly secured. Screened vent.	No holes or cracks visible. Cap (seal) tightly secured. Well vented but not screened.	No holes or cracks visible. Cap (seal) loose.	Holes or cracks visible. Cap (seal) loose or missing. Can hear falling water in well.
Casing depth
Cased more than 50 feet below water table.	Cased 31-50 feet below water table.	Cased 10-30 feet below water table.	Cased less than 10 feet below water table.
Casing height above land surface
More than 12 inches above grade.	8-12 inches above grade.	At grade or up to 8 inches above.	Below grade or in pit or basement.
Well age
Less than 20 years old.	21-50 years old.	51-70 years old.	More than 70 years old.
Well type
	Drilled	Driven-point (sand point)	Dug well
MANAGEMENT
Backflow prevention
Anti-backflow devices installed on all faucets with hose connections. No cross-connections between water supplies.	Anti-backflow devices installed on some faucets with hose connections.	No anti-backflow devices. Air gap maintained.	No anti-backflow devices. Air gap not maintained. Cross-connections between water supplies.
Unused well
No unused wells.	Unused well in field. Capped and protected.	Unused well in field. Not capped or protected.	Unused well on farmstead. Not capped or protected.
Water testing
Consistent water quality. Bacteria, nitrate, and other tests indicate good water quality.	Bacteria, nitrate, and other tests occasionally below standards.	Bacteria, nitrate, and other tests usually do not meet standards.	No water tests done. Water discolored after rainstorms. Noticeable changes in color, clarity, odor, or taste.
		RANKINGS TOTAL (Add up numbers in Your Rank Column)
		# OF AREAS RANKED (14 if ranked all)

Pictures of chickens, flowers, wheat, a boy looking through a magnifying glass, irrigation pipe, soybean pods, and fruits and vegetables.	Cooperative Extension Service





Cooperative Extension Service	Agricultural Experiment Station
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