Nova Scotia Environment shares well water tips

Nova Scotia's Department of Environment isreminding people with wells to restart their pumps carefully and to test the water before using it for drinking or cooking.

The tips come after several Nova Scotia communities experienced drought conditions. According to the province, there are still eight communities Argyle, Barrington, Chester, parts of Halifax, District of Lunenburg, Queens, Shelburne and Yarmouth dealing with a water shortage.

Elizabeth Kennedy, the director of industrial management, water and waste water, saidwater could have stagnated at the bottom of the well or there could have been air in the water lines. She said both of those things could allow bacteria to grow.

Keep bacteria away

"What we want to make sure is that bacteria doesn't make it into your drinking water," said Kennedy.

Another issue that could come up, Kennedy said, iswater mixingwith sediment at the bottom of the well.

"The sediment could make it through the lines that are leading to your drinking water pipe or to your treatment system. It could cause some damage," she said.

Kennedy said well users need to ensure there is enough water in their well before they start pumping, that water lines should be disinfected and finally that water should be tested for bacteria.

Ensure water level is high enough

This will be different for every well, Kennedy said.

"The best thing to do is if you know that your well is typically at a certain level, that you may just wait until it gets back to that level it was at before the drought so you know this is a safe operating range for it," she said.

If you pump too soon, you risk making your well go dry again. Kennedy says you could also damage your pump.

"A general rule is it's one to two metres above the pump intake. Again this will be different for every well. People should, if they're not really sure, they might want to hire a contractor to inspect their well and check for damage."

Disinfect your waterlines

There is some guidance from the province online about how to disinfect your well, your pumping system and all your plumbing that leads from your well to the tap.

"You could get silt in your plumbing. If you have a sensitive treatment system then you might damage your filter or whatever you have for treatment, you might damage your treatment system," said Kennedy.

"You might want to flush it as well without your treatment system. Just pump water into your sink. When it's a drought and you're only just getting your water back it might seem like a big waste. When in doubt hire a contractor to do this."

Test for bacteria

Kennedy said you can't tell by taste or smell if your water is safe to drink, which is why testing for bacteria is crucial.

"Your pumps and plumbing are more susceptible to contamination when there's been air and the bacteria have had a chance to grow," she said.

"We also recommend chemical testing, as well, every two years. If you haven't tested your water for chemical parametersthen you would want to do that again."

A list of water testing labs in Nova Scotia are available online.

"When people get theirtest results they may not understand what they mean. If they Google'drinking water interpretation tool' or look at our Nova Scotia Water website, there's actually a drinking water interpretation tool where people can put their parametersand it will give them a description of what this means for their health," Kennedy said.

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