Change in Well Water Quality 1

[kbeaud79]

Our 17yr old drilled well (110' deep with 51' static water) which had run crystal clear up until that time now is full of what appears to be a fine iron residue/silt following a severe lightning strike to our property last summer. We had a water treatment system (installed in 2001 for pre-cautionary purposes only as we are on well supply) on our incoming water which uses a KDF, Anion/Cadion resin bed softener combined with a Trojan UV light. Microbiological sampling on our well prior to the hit indicated "0 coliforms / 0 faecal coliforms" however since our strike (which by the way did significant damage to our home and contents) water sampling indicated coliform levels of >40 at times - which obviously requires further treatment. The UV system has a 5 micron pre-filter which now turns red-brown within 24 hours of changing it even though we've had the well pump replaced, the resin bed/pressure tank replaced more than 8 months ago now and run 1000's of gallons of water since. In the year prior to the hit our system had run completely clean and there had been no need to change the UV pre-filter at all! Now we continue to develop a fine reddish powder-like residue on most water contact points ie faucets, showers, water lines on fridge and humidifiers etc.

My primary question is --- can a severe lightening strike result in a change in water quality in a well and if so, how does this happen or is there likely another explanation for this problem?
Are we now dealing with dissolved iron (low level) which is passing through the 5micron filter and staining our water contact points? If so, what is the best means of removing the iron??? Should the KDF, anion/cadion resin system not have been able to remove this level of iron present(recent testing by Ministry officials indicated Iron levels of 392 ug/l ( AO 300 ug/l)combined with microbiological indication of
Iron Bacteria - Not Present
Sulphate Reducing Bacteria Present @ conc of 1100/100ml (we have additional analytical data if required)
We'd really appreciate whatever assistance someone can provide us with as we don't believe that the problem we are now faced with in further treating the water is simply co-incidental with the lightening strike. Any suggestions or contacts would be MUCH APPRECIATED!!!

 

[GarySCWSVI]

A lightning strike can cause a wide variety of problems for both the well water and most especially the water treatment equipment in a water treatment system. First, you need to verify that all the equipment in the water treatment system is working. Second, you need to have a complete water analysis of the well water as it is today. Once you know what the water analysis is you can then proceed to add to or adjust your current water treatment system.

It is not unusual for well water conditions to change for a lot of different reasons. Among some of those are: 1. Reduction of water level in the underground aquifer. 2. Underground activity such as an earthquake, even one that occured hundreds or even thousands of miles away. We are aware of a recent earthquake in Alaska that affected groundwater quality in the Midwestern United States. 3. Failure of the well bore hole with or without a well casing.

I highly recommend that you contact a local Well Driller to inspect your well. Also, have the well water analyzed and act accordingly. Also, have the water treatment system equipment checked for proper operation.

 

[EngrInfo]

I've seen water quality changes in domestic wells mostly after an earthquake, especially in areas where wells are drilled in hardrock formations.

 

[kbeaud79]

We have consulted several qualified well drillers in our area in addition to having the MOE inspect the site and had our system inspected by our water treatment specialists. In addition, the well has been shocked several times.
What is frustrating for us is that no one seems to be able to give us a straight answer! We were told that the water treatment system including a new resin bed/pressure tank was now operating fine (although we had the regeneration settings increased to compensate for the change in water quality from before). The UV system is operating fine as well....however, we now have this very fine reddish residue which is building up on a number of water exposed surfaces ie shower stalls, water faucets, water transfer lines such as ice maker and furnace humidifier etc. Whatever this is, it is obviously able to pass through the 5micron UV pre-filter with the larger particles being trapped on it.
No one seems to be able to definately identify this substance for us nor give us a reliable means of controlling it. We have received several recommendations for everything from drilling a new well to installing an iron filter or bailing the well. If we drill a new well, there is no guarrantee that our water will be any different so we're inclined to think we might be better off installing an iron filter but is this the best way to go and what should we look for in doing this.

 

[GarySCWSVI]

Your additional explanation leads me to another possible source for the "reddish residue". There are airborne microbes that cause more like a "pink residue or stain". One I remember is Serratia marcesens. This is not water related. Try cleaning those areas with a bleach solution. There is some good info on it at

http://www.cityofweirton.com/wwd/fact sheet pink residue.htm

 

[BobPE]

I would think from what you are describing that your well casing was compromised and you are getting water into your well from upper aquifer formations that are high in iron, manganese, and possibly septic effluent. The casing was sunk to keep the well open and to exclude upper water formations and only allow deeper water to be used for doemstic purposes. The well driller that originally installed the well should be able to tell you the depth of your casing pipe and material. There are ways to examine the casing pipe as well to determine if it was damaged by the lightning and they should be able to help you with this as well..

BobPE

 

[kbeaud79]

It isn't believed that this reddish residue is bacterial in nature as it appears almost as a very fine powder which cannot be easily wiped off as would a typical culture. Damage to the pitless adapter was at one point considered a possible cause however visual inspection of the well casing did not confirm this.
If it might be helpful, here are the complete analytical results of water samples taken earlier this year....
Chloride 2.4 mg/l (AO 250 mg/l)

Copper 3.6 ug/l (AO 1000 ug/l)

Zinc 1.6 ug/l (AO 5000 ug/l)

Chromium 1.5 ug/l (MAC 50 ug/l)

Lead 0.28 ug/l (MAC 10 ug/l)

Iron 392 ug/l ( AO 300 ug/l)

Manganese 10.9 ug/l (AO 50 ug/l)

Aluminium 1.3 ug/l (AO 100 ug/l)

Barium 124 ug/l (MAC 1000 ug/l)

Boron 34 ug/l (MAC 5000 ug/l)

Arsenic 0 ug/l (MAC 25 ug/l)

Sulphate 11.2 mg/l (AO 500 mg/l)

Conductivity 334 u siemens/cm

pH 8.23 dimension less (OG 6.5 to 8.5)

Alkalinity 178 mg/l (OG 30-500 mg/l)

Total Coliform - 0 (At Start and after 10min of pumping)
E Coli - 0 (At Start and after 10min of pumping)

Iron Bacteria - Not Present

Sulphate Reducing Bacteria Present @ conc of 1100/100ml
Unfortunately, we don't have any pre-strike analysis for comparrison other than microbiological sampling.
Any other thoughts or suggestions?

 

[BobPE]

how did you inspect the well casing? what is the casing material? The organism Garry is ppeaking about occurs in nature, and is a stubborn, persistant problem that forms at standing air/water interfaces such as toilets and showers.

Let us know...

BobPE

 

[kbeaud79]

According to the well record this well does not have a screen and was developed in brown gravel at 106'. Well casing is 6 1/4" steel casing which runs 107' in depth.
If this residue is in fact Serratia sp. then why did this not appear before the strike and why has it not been destroyed by the multiple chlorine "shocks" to the well since last summer???
Immediately after the lightning strike we encountered a significant amount of "reddish sludge" that continued to foul the water treatment system until the pump, tank and resin system were replaced. The amount of "residue" on the UV pre-filter is significantly less than 6 mos. ago but still present. The residue which is present on shower stalls, inside kettles, on faucets etc. is a very fine powdery substance that can be wiped off....there is no "slime" to the residue on these surfaces.
What about the level of SRB's??? and iron levels now in the water??

 

[BobPE]

how did you inspect the casing?

BobPE

 

[kbeaud79]

sorry, inspection of the well was visual only and through pumping test

 

[BobPE]

I would still stand with my original idea...the lightning, if id did indeed hit the well, would have to exit to ground somewhere in the column and would most likely make a hole in the steel casing. You well contractor should be able to test for this by pulling the pump and segmenting and air testing the casing, or tv'ing it....

My concern is that if you are influenced by the upper levels of the aquifer and there is a heavy septic loading riding on the groundwater, you will be drinking it.

Otther than this mechanical cause to an overnight problem, lightning wouldnt have much impact on anything else to cause change to the water quality...


BobPE

 

[yogibear1]

I am new to this forum, and just happened to see a query from BobPE about well casing inpsection. I work for a County Water system in west central Florida. We have been experimenting with Aquifer Stoage and Rcovery of reclaimed water -which is a whole story unto itself. However, we did inspect our entire well from land surface to the bottom some 400 feet with a TV camera. Our casing is 16 inches ID, but the camera was quite small. We had a well logging contractor perform the service for us. TV camera inspection of sewer ines is also something our own forces regularly perform - they have crawler camera sleds.

 

[kbeaud79]

Pencil cam inspection of the well casing over the 110' depth was considered except that the cost quoted for a contractor to do this was going to run close to $4000 CDN! - which seemed incredibly expensive to all those involved. (Heck, we even considered purchasing one ourselves as from what we've heard, they're not much more than the cost quoted!!)

 

[PUMPDESIGNER]

BobPE is on the correct track as usual (but not always BobPE).

$4,000.00 is outragious. A couple of hundred bucks should do that. Well drillers in our area do it for free if they end up putting in a new well.

I am somewhat surprised that only BobPE came up with this. If this keeps up 'ol BobPe will think he is a genious.

All that other stuff mentioned really gets off the track until the damaged well casing potential is eliminated. Well casings are incredible grounding potentials that attract lightning. And even more important, well casings do fail and cause contamination without lightning, which someone in your area it seems should be fully aware of.

PUMPDESIGNER

 

[BobPE]

PUMPDESIGNER:

LOL....I have never been on the wrong track...maybe left with wrong or not enough information, but never on the wrong track LOL...

Lightning is a common thing at wells since they are nothing but large ground rods. I have seen a lot of this damage and the give away is the coliform test. Not looking for coliform falses such as iron bacteria mind you.

You know I only comment on posts I know about...Remember, in my day job, I cant afford to be worng LOL so that spills over here all the time LOL....


Deepending on the casing type, you can have the contractor do segment pressure testing which is nothing more than isolating the well column into 20 plus or minus foot segments and pressurizing them to see if they hold air. A good well driller will know this process, if the one you are talking to doesnt, find another.

I would go further (PUMPDESIGNER will be amazed again mind you) to say the damage will be in the first 25 feet of column pipe as measured from the surface.

good luck...take coliform tests often until you define the problem...

BobPE

 

[cjohnson]

I suspect two possible "explanations" to the emerging presence of SRB occurring in well. The lightening strike either created a condition where two waters are now mixing, when previously you had a single water source. Or the lightening strike altered the chemistry of the well casing/water interface.

The lightening strike may have energized the well casing such that a breach has occurred, allowing different waters to now mix in the well. As such, the mixed water is conducive to both SRB growth, and the presence of iron preciptate. SRB can produce sulfuric acid as a biological waste, which in turn can affect the well casing. Chlorination of a well does nothing to SRB's but really piss them off, and they respond by re-doubling there growth efforts as a defense mechanism.

Typcial iron/manganse ratio's in standard low-carbon steel well casing is about 50:1. Your data suggests a 35:1 ratio, which may indicate a deteriorating well casing.

When we suspect septic effluent is reaching a well via a breach in the casing, we test for a variety of constituents. Foremost is coliform and fecal bacteria using a MPN (Most probable number) analysis method, nitrate, and caffeine. Yes, caffeine! Research and field work has shown that this alkaloid is conservative in the environment and conclusive with respect to source. It does not mean that the only source of contaminants are the septic tank, but that a portion at least is from the tank. Which in turns supports a breach in the casing.

If the casing is breached shallow, it may be possilbe to "swage" a liner into place, sealing the breach.

If no breach occurred, then the energized casing could have "spalled" and as such created a coating of iron oxide residue. This might explain the lack of a "slimy" feel, which is typical of Gallionella or some other type of iron-reducing bacteria. In addtion, some forms of calcium-based precipitates can utilize various forms of iron, causing the staining that you describe.

My work involves rehabilitating water wells, and I often send water samples to Dr. John Schnieder at Water Systems Engineering in Ottawa, Kansas for bacterial profiling. He will assess the biological activity of the well water using ATP (adenosine triphosphate) analysis, along with speciating the bacteria. With this data, we have prepared rehabilitation methods for many wells.

I apologize for the length of my response, but in fact it could be much longer. Please feel free to contact me if I can assist further.

 

[luissabate]

I think BobPE is close:
"I would think from what you are describing that your well casing was compromised and you are getting water into your well from upper aquifer formations that are high in iron, manganese, and possibly septic effluent. The casing was sunk to keep the well open and to exclude upper water formations and only allow deeper water to be used for doemstic purposes."

cjohnson says something similar, but he goes too far. May be has experience in this field.

I agree with both of them: it seems like a low quality watter is getting in the well stream; because the ligthtening breaked the pipe.
The redish/brownish pp may be Fe2O3 and organic matter, comming from this second source.

Luis Sabaté

visite:

http://latam.msnusers.com/AguasyEfluentes/bienvenidos.msnw