Well Water Disinfection is Your Responsibility
Groundwater is not stagnant — it’s always moving. Your well water quality can change rapidly without you knowing. As of 2021, more than 23 million U.S. households use private water wells. The CDC discusses well water safetyopen_in_new, highlighting the need for homeowners to oversee the quality of their drinking water in order to prevent private well water contamination.
EPA regulations protecting public drinking water sources do not apply to your private well. Well water contamination can affect even the best-maintained and newest wells. Regular testing, proper maintenance, and appropriate filtration and disinfection are necessary. Adding ultraviolet technology for disinfection can reduce health risks associated with well water contamination and improve the quality of your water.
Well Water Quality Concerns
There are two areas of drinking water concern — those dealing with safety for consumption, and those dealing with aesthetic issues such as taste, color, and odor. Contamination that can pose health risks is often invisible to the naked eye. Aesthetic issues are rarely indicative of impurities that create health concerns.
Several sources of pollution are easy to spot by sight, taste, or smell … however many serious problems can only be found by testing your water.
—EPA, “Drinking Water From Household Wells”open_in_new
An Economical & Rapid Disinfection Method
Ultraviolet technology is an economical and rapid method of disinfection. Germicidal ultraviolet lamps, also known as UV-C lamps, emit ultraviolet rays at 254 nanometers. This level is lethal to bacteria that may be present in your water such as E. coli, virus, mold, and cysts like Cryptosporidium.
SANITRON®, MINIPURE®, MIGHTY★PURE®, and Bio-Logic® UV systems for well water disinfectionopen_in_new are quality-engineered, manufactured by Atlantic Ultraviolet Corporation®, and easy to install and use. They provide continuous disinfection of your water with minimal maintenance — occasional quartz sleeve cleaning and bulb replacement about once a year or every 10,000 hours. A stainless steel chamber houses the UV-C lamp, so there is no risk of exposure. Successful disinfection depends on the unobstructed path of ultraviolet wavelengths through the water, and on the proper dose of UV light needed in order to inactivate the particular organisms. To compare all models, view and download our UV Water Purifier Comparison Chartopen_in_new.
Which Contaminants Can Be in Well Water?
In 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)open_in_new studied the water quality of over 2,000 private wells to measure the existence and extent of contamination. The study found that about 23 percent of them did have at least one contaminant at a level of potential health concern.
Bacteria, virus, or fungi contaminating the aquifer can feed into your well. Contamination can cause foul odors and tastes, physical discomfort — and in the worst cases, it can have deadly consequences. The following water-related microbes found in private wells are susceptible to UV-C rays. In addition, lead and Nitrates are treated by Bio-Logic® Pure Water Pack™open_in_new models, as part of a point-of-use treatment.
Common Sources of Well Water Contaminants
Septic Tank Effluent
The EPA, along with Cornell Universityopen_in_new, determined that bacterial contamination from septic tank effluent is the most common drinking water quality issue. Septic tanks and cesspools also leach other non-bodily waste toxins, such as cleaners and medications, into the groundwater.
Barnyard Waste
Another serious well water contamination issue is caused by animal waste that seeps into the groundwater and aquifer by a nearby livestock farm, and eventually into the well.
Stormwater Runoff
Flooding and stormwater runoff pollution are also causes for concern. Aquifer contamination is typically caused by improper use of fertilizers and pesticides, construction equipment, lead and copper piping, mining, stormwater drains, sewage plants, and inadequate disposal of hazardous wastes such as cleaning supplies, paints, medications, motor oils, and chemical or industrial wastes.
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3 Routines to Address Private Well Water Contamination
Because there are so many potential contaminants in your well at any given time, there is not one water treatment to eliminate all risks.
Testing
Experts recommend that you have your water tested by a certified laboratory at least once a year — more often if there’s a reason for concern like a failed water test. This procedure will indicate if your well water tests positive for coliform bacteria, nitrates, and dissolved solids — while monitoring water pH levels.
Maintenance
Periodic inspection by a well water specialist is also recommended to rule out any physical issues near or with your well. Areas of concern that the investigation can reveal are bad or corroded fittings, casings, and pipes, abandoned wells nearby, and reduced water pressure.
Treatment
Whenever possible, you want to remove the contamination source. However, removal of many natural and unnatural causes is not always feasible. A layered treatment process, culminating with continuous UV disinfection directly before use, ensures your well water is safe from harmful bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
The Layered Treatment Process of Well Water Disinfection
With a variety of contaminants possible in your well water, most disinfection procedures will require a series of treatments in order to improve groundwater quality. This layered process may include:
- Fixing hardness, PH balance, and sulfide issues with chemical treatment
- Treating arsenic and nitrates with a water softener
- Removing a variety of contaminants with reverse osmosis
- Removing debris and turbidity with 5-micron particulate filtration
To successfully neutralize harmful bacteria, viruses, and mold, UV disinfection should always be the final step.
Selecting the Best UV-C Water Purifier for Your Needs
With proper well maintenance, the removal of potential contamination sources, and a layered treatment process that improves water quality to an acceptable level — you are ready to add UV disinfection. When selecting a UV-C purifier for your well water, you’ll need to evaluate your water volume and determine whether you want treatment for one faucet or an entire home. Read the product descriptions below, along with our sizing and installation blog post, for help selecting and connecting the model that best suits your needs. Need additional assistance? Our UV specialists are an email or phone call away at Sales@AtlanticUV.com or (631) 273-0500. Our UV water disinfection systems are quality engineered, either made or assembled in the USA from stainless steel and high-quality materials.
Bio-Logic®
The Bio-Logic® line is economical, compact and versatile. These models feature dual, rotatable chamber heads to match an existing water connection, streamlining installation and saving time and money. They are available either as stand-alone water purifiers or with a dual-filter systemopen_in_new. These water purifiers are designed for point of use (POU) installations under the sink and can also be used to treat water in boats or campers.
Minipure®
These models have a compact footprint, making them ideal for point-of-use applications (under sink installation, water vending machines) as well as with small reverse osmosis systems, boats, RVs, etc. The two largest models in this line can be used for whole-house water disinfection. An audible alarm within the ballast alerts of lamp malfunction. All MINIPURE® UV water purifiers come equipped with stainless steel wall mounting brackets.
Mighty★Pure®
These water purifiers, manufactured in Type 316 stainless steel, offer superior quality and numerous standard features. Several optional accessories are also available, including a GUARDIAN™open_in_new Ultraviolet Monitor. Models can install at the point of entry (POE) to your home or the point of use (POU).
Sanitron®
These models provide maximum gallon per hour flexibility. Multiple units can be added or removed at any point as your needs change. Install these purifiers at the point of use (POU) or point of entry (POE). SANITRON® models S37C, S50C, and S2400C comply with NSF®/ANSI 61 and NSF®/ANSI/CAN 372 — Drinking Water System Component — Health Effects and Lead Content. All SANITRON® models have many standard features such as an integrated drain fitting and a patented dual-action wiper for easy quartz sleeve cleaning — making them the easiest of the 4 product lines to maintain.
Tank Master™ UV Liquid Storage Sanitizer
In addition to the benefits of UV installed POE and POU inside your home, UV disinfection can be used to reduce risks found inside your non-pressurized well water storage tank. Atlantic Ultraviolet’s Tank Master™ Ultraviolet Liquid Storage Sanitizer, which installs inside this tank, helps to eliminate slime that can continuously grow on the tank’s walls and in the head space above the water. During the summer months, slime can become heavy and a nuisance to keep clean. Even though the water undergoes full treatment before use, using the Tank Master™ helps to keep the slime problem under control.
Need help? Contact Our UV Application Specialists
We will help you determine the right products and the proper installation method, in order to provide the precise ultraviolet dosage for your needs.
Call: (631) 273-0500, Mon–Fri, 7am–6pm
Email: Sales@AtlanticUV.com
Additional Information
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