Using water with arsenic on my plants

Hi,

My well water was tested to have 4x the limit for arsenic in my area. I had to get an RO filter for my drinking water.  Will I have issues with my vegetables and fruiting bushes/trees having high arsenic.

Thanks
MP

This is way outside my pay grade, but if your well water has high amounts of arsenic, does your soil as well?  If it's just an issue with the well water, you could either try rainwater harvesting, or I read this thing saying that macroalgae will take up arsenic. Perhaps you could come up with a macroalgae growth system (really way outside my pay grade) where you grow the macroalgae, dispose of it somewhere, and then use the remaining water to irrigate your edibles?
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31578125/

Unfortunately, it could be a problem. Arsenic accumulates in soil, and the total concentration determines the risk.

Some plants do not take up much arsenic, while others take up a great deal.

Here are a couple of sources that look credible to me:
https://ask2.extension.org/kb/faq.php?id=450894
https://plantprobs.net/plant/nutrientImbalances/arsenic.html

I can't see an easy solution. I know there are inexpensive flow-through filters being developed in areas of the Indian subcontinent where natural arsenic levels in well water are dangerously high.

If this was my land, I would have a soil test done and capture as much rainwater as possible.

Thanks for the quick replies

My back yard (where the beds will be) abuts a small pond (97 acres) that I was told blooms heavily with lily's during the summer.  Would there be a nutrient/contaminant issue (not arsenic related) from taking that water?

I am looking into a rain collection system as well

What is the water source for the pond? The only things that would concern me are heavy pesticide use in the catchment area or blooms of toxic blue-green algae. Other than that, I would use the pond water.

maybe use a hose end filter like this one?
https://www.amazon.ca/GrowRite-Garden-Hose-Filter-Filtered/dp/B07HMDJVJR/ref=asc_df_B07HMDJVJR/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=335500649223&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9604872052949719486&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9000900&hvtargid=pla-553033783176&psc=1

Did you ever find any filter that works?

It would be good to find filters that work to water plants.

My well water is high in alkaline so we made good soil which gets ruined by adding alkaline water ever time I water plants.

Susan Boyce wrote:Did you ever find any filter that works?

Good question.

I have a vague memory of somplace in India (I think? or maybe Pakistan? or Bangladesh?) where water wells were drilled by well-meaning NGO's -- and turned out to be dangerously high in arsenic, because of the underlying geology. When the inevitable problems became apparent, some sort of simple, low-tech filter was installed that could cleanse a whole village's water supply. But dammit I don't remember enough specific details. (It might have been a CBC "The Nature of Things" documentary from decades ago?)

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:..........water wells were drilled by well-meaning NGO's -- and turned out to be dangerously high in arsenic, because of the underlying geology.

For our own high arsenic levels in northwest Minnesota, I was told one source was the heavy use of arsenic-containing insecticide for the control of Colorado potato beetle to name one target pest of the program.  This was due to the large potato industry in the region and the availability of 'Paris Green' and derivatives.  From Wiki:  "In 1867, farmers in Illinois and Indiana found that Paris green was effective against the Colorado potato beetle, an aggressive agricultural pest. Despite concerns regarding the safety of using arsenic compounds on food crops, Paris green became the preferred method for controlling the beetle. By the 1880s, Paris green had become the first widespread use of a chemical insecticide in the world.[18] The widespread agricultural use of Paris green as an insecticide also contributed to long-term environmental contamination, as arsenic compounds accumulated in soil and water systems after repeated spraying on crops and orchards." -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_green

This is a really interesting discussion. From what I’ve read and seen, arsenic tends to build up more in the soil over time rather than showing immediate effects on plants, so testing both soil and water seems like a good step.

Rainwater collection sounds like a solid option if it’s practical, since it avoids adding more contaminants. For the pond water, I’d probably be a bit cautious during heavy bloom periods, especially if there’s any chance of algae or runoff from surrounding areas, but otherwise it seems like it could be usable depending on the source.

It’s one of those situations where small differences in water source and soil conditions can really matter.