Well water

Not sure if this is proper place to post.  We just replaced our well pump.  The water is yellowish.  How do we clear it efficiently without wasting water.  I have read bleach, but don't really want to do that unless necessary.  Thanks!

Hi Jane! Have you had a water analysis done? The color could be from minerals instead of biological activity.

Was the water yellow before the new well pump was installed? So I don't think ground water is not going to be sterile. I have a well, and I've read all sorts of information from industry and they recommend that the thing to do is "shock" a well with chlorine when certain problems arise. Pouring poison into the earth is narrow minded thinking and is a temporary band-aid fix that also has other unforeseen impacts and consequences. It makes no sense to me as it will never kill 100% of any microbe down there - there will always be some that survive and repopulate. I do not recommend pouring biocides into the earth, but instead establish what is causing the color, and if it is something that you can't live with, may I suggest alternatives such as a carbon block filter, which may remove the color. Hope this helps!

We actually not used the well.  We are transitioning from city back to well.  No, I definitely don't want to poison the land/waters!  Thanks.

My mom is going to use it for her camper, for now.  She has a brain injury and tends to do things without thinking through.  Then, I deal with aftermath. Lol. So she didn't contact anyone, she just had it done.

It takes a while for a new or disused well to settle down. The starting point, I believe, is to pump from the well daily for a period. Then you can take samples to a lab.

I agree that testing, for both biological and chemical safety, is extremely important. Good data lets you plan your next steps intelligently.

Personally, I think it's a bit strong to see shock chlorination as poisoning. It's a necessary tool for well owners to ensure safe drinking water. The chlorine is at relatively low concentrations, and is pumped out in 24 hours. That said, I respect the views of those who see it differently.

Yes, people where I live in the high desert in India always say you have to run the pump out of the well for several hours. They say I should do this every time I run the pump, but I don't because it seems clean to me. But yeah, at the beginning it might help to just run the pump for several hours at daily or weekly intervals

Jane your probably about 60 miles from me and I have problems with my well too, some times the water is not so clear and then it clears up, it constantly changes, my theory is that the underground terrain is cracked up mountain and when it rains a lot silt goes through the cracks through the underground aquifer.  I'm currently learning about different filter options but I'm suffering from information overload because there are so so many ads, claims and promises from all the different web sites that sell water filtration products.

It sounds like a lot of 'silt/sediment'  were stirred up and you will have to waste some water for a couple days to get it to clear up.

You are also probably going to need some basic filters.

After all of that has been done I would get a well test for bilogical and chemical safety, and if everything is fine, use it. If not you might have to add a reverse osmosis step/uv sterilization/ozone/etc

Shock chlorination is not poisoning the earth or the water.  Disinfection is used in every large municipal drinking water system throughout the country to control bacterial growth.  Private wells should also be disinfected once a year or whenever the system is breached for repair.  If the yellow color (or fine sediment) in the water persists after continuous long term pumping, please contact a local county sanitarian or environmental health department to see if they can assist in determining the source of the problem.  A lot of times they can conduct a lab analysis for free (if they have the budget) or recommend a well rehabilitation contractor if needed.  You can also contact a water treatment vendor and have them evaluate your groundwater to determine the treatment options.  Good Luck.

I would not contact local authorities, but getting it tested is a good idea, university of Georgia extension service has a top notch water and soil testing program you if you google it they give directions for sending samples and cost breakdown according to what types of tests you want done. if you contact local health dept and your well is contaminated it will be on record and if you ever want to sell property you have to disclose that and good luck selling.

I say that about not calling health dept cuz this is Tennessee not California, Colorado or Massachusetts or some place where the local or state would have some program or experts to help you out if you have a problem