Well Water Quality

Don't drink it before you have it tested.

There are various filtration systems out there, but you won't be able to determine what type you need until you find out what's in the water.............or if you can even still use it. Sorry to hear about that, I'm on a well myself.

At the very least boil the water if you must use it to drink. Have you had a lot of rain lately? It looks like this causes problems.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennai_MetroWater_Supply_and_Sewage_Board

There might be contamination on your aquifer from up streams source(know the possible sources of contamination). It could be organic in nature or could be chemical in nature, so boiling won't ease the real problem there.

1) Have the water quality tested by a Lab there are standards for drinking water & potable water.

The results will gave you, its either safe or not safe to drink and most importantly it's quality so, your local Health & Sanitary department could respond if there are violators around.

Then you could decide if it needs a new source/well or not.

Sounds like you may be having some sedimentation problems. Wells are typical dug to slightly below a aquafer or vein of water. This places the pump in a pocket so that water can fill in and always keep the pump submerged (hopefully). Due to a variety of reasons, the area can fill in with sediment from time to time.

[p]Your local hardware or home improvement store has simple test kits. you can do the tests with relatively good success in less than a day to test your water's safety to drink. An independent lab can tell you more for about $100. Sample cleanliness is very important.

[p]I always have installed a "Whole House Filter" before my pressure tank to keep most sediment and mineral residues prior to the drinking side. This minimizes the ability to reside in still pockets and create bacteria. Everything requires maintenance, and this is quarterly or as your demand requires. These filters should not be activiated carbon, as they can harbor bacteria collonies. Save those for down stream locations.

[p]If your water is black, I would suspect some iron influence or other mineral intake. Those simple water test kits can check your hardness. If hardness or iron become an issue that you can't live with, I recommend a softener with Iron removing residue. However, sodium is input into the water as a substitute ion. Too much of that is not cool, so reverse osmosis filter can "sterilize" your water (more maintenance!) for about $200 or more per unit. Filters for RO are about $45 per quarter year.

[p]Good luck, I hope it doesn't last long. Do you have neighbors with similar problems? Was any well dug nearby? What are the rainfall conditions in the past month? Is your pump serviceable and are you not having any short cycling problems of the pump caused by returning leakage? I have lived through these problems in the past, as well. (pardon the pun)!

Good inputs on bio fouling. Thanks to Kevinm for the useful information. Hope you are referring bore well sources if my assumption is correct?

There is a possibility that sewage water could have percolated into your well. Please call experts in water field and check it.

Can you tell us how deep your well is?

I had the same symptoms and it turned out to be sulpher bacteria due to the seepage of groundwater between the steel well casing and the bedrock that it sits on. If you collect a glass of this water it will actually precipitate into black particulate. Hydrogen peroxide will clear it up very quickly and cheaply. You can get it at a water filtration supplier very cheaply. About $45 for 5 gallons of 35% (canadian) it is very strong and will burn your skin. Put a litre in your well and and it will scour the well, pump, pipes very effectively and will last 1 to 3 months. You should add a cupfull every 3 to 6 weeks depending on severity. It will killl all of the germs as well and very safe to drink. The effect is dramatic and will clean the foulest of water.

As most other posts, I agree you should have the water tested to be sure it is safe. I found from personal experience though that those symptoms also could indicate a failing well pump. I noticed the smell first because my filter was capturing the black particles, but then the pump stopped pumping.

I do have the occasional issue with smelly water, but found that if I drop a Chlorine pellet or two down the well cap it clears up for several months. I use a small cylindrical pellet about 1" long and 1" diameter. You might have to cut it into smaller pieces. The container of pellets I got from walmart's pool supply shelf has lasted for years.

A few years back the borewell water in Velachery area used to be heavily contaminated with hexavalent chromim from uncontrolled release of chemicals into the drainage by industries in that area, till Jayalalitha got into the act and the pollution control board (மாசு கட்டு வாரியம்) closed offenders.

The quality of water improved dramatically.

There is little an individual can do to improve groud water quality.

bioramani