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Using water with arsenic on my plants

 
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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
 
pollinator
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Location: North Central Kentucky
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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/
 
master pollinator
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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.

 
Mp Mason
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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
 
Douglas Alpenstock
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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.
 
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