Is my well water safe to drink?

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  University of Washington. Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center
• Description:
  What could be in my well water? Nitrate and coliform bacteria are common contaminants in wells. They can seep into wells from septic tanks, manure, or fertilizers. These contaminants can be harmful to your family especially babies, pregnant women and older adults. High levels of nitrate in drinking water can cause blue baby syndrome. Without medical treatment, this illness can be fatal. Drinking well water with coliform bacteria can cause diarrhea or other illnesses. What can I do? 1. Test your well water. Yakima Health District recommends that you or your landlord test every year for nitrate and total coliform bacteria. 2. Read your results to find out if your well water has high nitrate or total coliform bacteria. Yakima Health District can help you understand your results. If your well has high nitrate or total coliform bacteria: 3. Do not drink your well water. Bottled water is a safe option for drinking and cooking. 4. Address the problem. Here are some of your options: High nitrate: For a long-term solution, drill a new well or connect to a city water system. For a short-term solution, install a reverse osmosis system. This filter removes nitrate from water. Total coliform bacteria: Add bleach to your well. Call Yakima Health District to find out how much you should add. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Family Occupational Health Public Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Water supply; Drinking water; Ground water; Families; Information dissemination; Public health; Bacteria
• Publisher:
  University of Washington
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Lay Publication
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20065439
• Citation:
  Seattle, WA: University of Washington, 2019 Nov; :1-2
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Is my well water safe to drink?
• End Date:
  20270929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f5a33c87cbe3e325978e32435bdaf762ba89ec2f38609e0b6b6bf5ab274a0a2d1cf8ae5ed3e2c23138284e7a2ff1e540dfa24aa4b750e80ce5d0bc07f282e360
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/249438/cdc_249438_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.16 MB ]