PA Environment Digest

Penn State, Center For Rural PA Study Shows Improvements, Problems In Private Water Wells

A two-year study of over 700 private water wells by the Penn State Extension Master Well Owner Network sponsored by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania shows levels of lead and nitrates have dropped sharply over the last 25 years, but as many as 40 percent of the wells surveyed still do not meet safe drinking water standards.

There are more than 1 million private water wells in Pennsylvania serving more than 3 million people and more than 20,000 new wells are drilled every year. However, Pennsylvania is one of only a few states that do not regulate the construction or operations of private wells.

The study found that 12 percent of wells had levels of lead above the state standard, down from 20 percent in 1993, and just 2 percent of wells had nitrate levels above state standards, down from 12 percent in 1993.

“It was encouraging to see that some contaminants were less common and overall pollution of wells does not appear to be getting worse over the past two decades," said Brian Swistock, extension water resources specialist. "But to see that four out of every 10 wells still had problems was discouraging. We were surprised to learn that most of the people with contaminated wells had no idea that there were problems with their water. That's probably because the pollutants we tested for create no obvious tastes, stains or odors in water, so the only way to detect them is by getting the water properly tested at a certified laboratory."

"In the study, which was mainly funded by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, we found that well construction has a major determining effect on some well pollutants," said Swistock. "We were able to document that wells of poor construction had poor water quality -- so it does make a difference."

Swistock explained that other states require sanitary well caps with a cement-like grout seal around the well casing, which keeps animals, insects and surface water from getting into the wells. "Grout seals make a huge difference in keeping bacteria associated with the surface from getting into the well water," he said.

The fact that many homeowners are not aware of pollution problems in their well water is a major concern, Swistock contends, because contaminants could be making them sick. That's why Cooperative Extension repeatedly urges well owners to get their water tested.

"We have recommended to the General Assembly that there should be some sort of requirement to test well water when a real estate transaction takes place or when a well is drilled, or both, so that homeowners are aware of these problems," he said.

The study would have been prohibitively expensive were it not for extension's Master Well Owner Network, Swistock pointed out.

"We had 172 volunteers help with this study, which was also funded by the Pennsylvania Water Resources Research Institute. Without the involvement of the Master Well Owner volunteers and their sponsor agencies (Department of Environmental Protection and U.S. Department of Agriculture), the study would have cost at least five times as much and might have not been possible," he said.

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