Wells & Well Water for Pagosa Springs
Well Basics | Well Maintenance | Testing Your Water | Protecting Your Water Supply | What to Write into the Contract

Because we are in an area with natural sulphur hot springs, many wells in the Pagosa Springs area have sulphur in them as well. It is conceivable to have safe drinking water from a well that doesn't taste good. In such cases, there are a variety of different options from filtering systems to bringing in bottled water for drinking and cooking. Your well water testing specialist can give you a list of options and costs.

Top Lab Consulting 970-264-5253

Culligan Water Conditioning 970-247-3690 (Durango)

There are three types of private drinking water wells: dug, driven, and drilled. See the three links below for an explanation and graphic of the types of wells.

• Dug
• Driven
• Drilled

Well Maintenance

Proper well construction and continued maintenance are keys to the safety of your water supply.

The well should be located so rainwater flows away from it. Rainwater can pick up harmful bacteria and chemicals on the land’s surface. If this water pools near your well, it can seep into it, potentially causing health problems.

To keep your well safe, you must be sure possible sources of contamination are not close by. Experts suggest the following distances as a minimum for protection — farther is better

• Septic Tanks, 50 feet
• Livestock yards, Silos, Septic Leach Fields, 50 feet
• Patroleum Tanks, Liquid-Tight Manure Storage and Fertilizer Storage and Handling, 100 feet
• Manure Stacks, 250 feet

Many homeowners tend to forget the value of good maintenance until problems reach crisis levels. That can be expensive. It’s better to maintain your well, find problems early, and correct them to protect your well’s performance. Keep up-to-date records of well installation and repairs plus pumping and water tests. Such records can help spot changes and possible problems with your water system. If you have problems, ask a local expert to check your well construction and maintenance records. He or she can see if your system is okay or needs work.

Protect your own well area. Be careful about storage and disposal of household and lawn care chemicals and wastes. Good farmers and gardeners minimize the use of fertilizers and pesticides. Take steps to reduce erosion and prevent surface water runoff. Regularly check underground storage tanks that hold home heating oil, diesel, or gasoline. Make sure your well is protected from the wastes of livestock, pets, and wildlife.

• How can I test the quality of my private drinking water supply?
• How can I protect my private water supply?

How can I test the quality of my private drinking water supply? 

Consider testing your well for pesticides, organic chemicals, and heavy metals before you use it for the first time. Test private water supplies annually for nitrate and coliform bacteria to detect contamination problems early. Test them more frequently if you suspect a problem. Be aware of activities in your watershed that may affect the water quality of your well, especially if you live in an unsewered area.

Reasons to Test Your Water
The chart below will help you spot problems. The last five problems listed are not an immediate health concern, but they can make your water taste bad, may indicate problems, and could affect your well long term.

For more information on for more information on what human activities can polluteground water see:

• Drinking Water From Household Wells (EPA 816-K-02-003 January 2002)

If you use a private laboratory to conduct the testing, nitrate and bacteria samples will typically cost between $10 and $20 to complete. Testing for other contaminants will be more expensive. For example, testing for pesticides or organic chemicals may cost from several hundred to several thousand dollars. Only use laboratories that are certified to do drinking water tests.

Most laboratories mail back the sample results within a week or two. If a contaminant is detected, the results will include the concentration found and an indication of whether this level exceeds a drinking water health standard.

• See the List of Drinking Water Contaminants and their Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL) page for information on Drinking Water Contaminants.

If a standard is exceeded in your sample, retest the water supply immediately and contact your public health department for assistance. Some problems can be handled quickly. For example, high bacteria concentrations can sometimes be controlled by disinfecting a well. Filters or other on-site treatment processes may also remove some contaminants. Other problems may require a new source of water, or a new, deeper well. If serious problems persist, you may need to rely on bottled water until a new water source can be obtained.

You should test private water supplies annually for nitrates,coliform bacteria, total dissolved solids, and pH levels to detect contamination problems early. Test more frequently if a problem was found in earlier tests.

For more information, read Home Water Testing (564 K PDF FILE, 2pgs)

How can I protect my private water supply?

Protect your water supply by carefully managing activities near the water source. For households using a domestic well, this includes keeping contaminants away from sinkholes and the well itself. Keep hazardous chemicals out of septic systems.

• Periodically inspect exposed parts of the well for problems such as:
• cracked, corroded, or damaged well casing
• broken or missing well cap
• settling and cracking of surface seals.
• Slope the area around the well to drain surface runoff away from the well.
• Install a well cap or sanitary seal to prevent unauthorized use of, or entry into, the well.
• Have the well tested once a year for coliform bacteria, nitrates, and other constituents of concern.
• Keep accurate records of any well maintenance, such as disinfection or sediment removal, that may require the use of chemicals in the well.
• Hire a certified well driller for any new well construction, modification, or abandonment and closure.
• Avoid mixing or using pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, degreasers, fuels, and other pollutants near the well.
• Do not dispose of wastes in dry wells or in abandoned wells.
• Do not cut off the well casing below the land surface.
• Pump and inspect septic systems as often as recommended by your local health department.
• Never dispose of harsh chemicals, solvents, petroleum products, or pesticides in a septic system or dry well.

Most of the above information courtesy of www.epa.gov.

What to Write Into the Contract

Before purchasing a home or land, you'll want to know how your property's well is working. You may wish to write that the sale is contigent upon acceptance of the well, its water and safety.

Things to consider are: What kind of water pressure you get, what the output is, how clean the water is, what minerals are in it, is it safe to drink, is there enough water to provide for the entire family etc.

Have your well water tested to know exactly what you're getting. Water may be safe to drink, but taste like minerals, so you might choose to haul in your own drinking water.


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