Well intentions
Checking water quality is key for rural homebuyers
If you are buying a home that is hooked up to a city or municipal water system, you generally have little to worry about when it comes to the quality of water. That’s because it’s the municipality’s responsibility to provide clean water, either through filtration, chlorination or other methods, and they are subject to periodic review and reporting requirements.
But if the home you are buying has its own well, then things are more complicated.
Private wells aren’t subject to the same regulations as municipal systems, and water quality can become a key issue in the inspection process. Your bank or lender may require water testing as part of the mortgage agreement.
“The lender may set criteria for a mortgage,” said Jeff Smith, of Smith Well Drilling. A member of the Empire State Water Well Drillers Association, and a home inspector who also conducts inspection training courses, Smith said drillers and testers have been busy these days, due to a COVID-19 related influx of people moving to rural areas in and around the Capital Region.
“We’ve never seen it so busy,” he said.
Outside of cities, towns or villages, many houses have their own wells, which means there is a lot to look for during the inspection process.
One of the first things homebuyers should check is whether their wells contain coliform
bacteria. The broad category includes countless harmless varieties naturally found in soil but also includes harmful organisms such as E. coli, which is found in fecal matter and can cause illnesses such as diarrhea or stomach upsets. The presence of coliform bacteria is an indicator that human or animal waste could also be present.
Fixing that problem is a multistep process,smith said.
The source of the bacteria — or other pollutants — must first be pinpointed. This can be a defective or missing well cap, seepage through a well casing, or flooding. Once that is addressed, a water expert may “shock” the water with chlorine, then wait several days for it to work before taking a new water sample.
“Once the well shaft is totally disinfected, then the water must be coliform-free,” Smith said.
If the problem can’t be corrected by repairing the well, the buyer may have to consider a treatment system, such as ultraviolet or chlorine filters.
Smith advises homebuyers to use a driller or tester who is certified with the National Ground Water Association and who has at least two years of experience. Additionally, the water samples should be examined by a facility, such as East Greenbush’s Capital Region Environmental Lab, that uses Epa-certified tests.
Brian Collins, who operates the
East Greenbush lab, said homebuyers in rural areas may also want to check for nitrates or herbicides and pesticides that may be present in agricultural areas.
“We get a lot of calls for herbicide and pesticide (tests) if they are near a farm,” Collins said.
People worried about agricultural runoff in their water should check for substances like arsenic, which is used in pesticides, or nitrates, which are a primary component of crop fertilizers, he said.
Still, not all the elements one finds in water are harmful. With lots of mineral-rich hard water in this region, for instance, a home may have brown iron stains in the sink — but these are more of an aesthetic concern than a health issue.