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Water is the lifeblood of the American farm Every aspect of farm life is dependent on
the availability of a quality water source Whether for livestock, agricultural, or personal
needs Most rural residents in the US get their water
from private wells But that lifeblood which we often take so
much for granted Can easily be contaminated
Many farmstead activities create potential hazards that may affect the quality
Of groundwater due to their proximity to the well
The hazards can be avoided by following principles of wellhead protection
Similar to those used at public supply wells under
the EPA’s wellhead protection program And by using plain common sense
Hello, I am Bill Harris District and area conservationists like you
and I can provide technical assistance To rural residents who need information about
farmstead well protection We can also help those residents who already
have well problems This program and the video training series
that follows provides information on how to offer this assistance and identifies
activities around the farmstead that can adversely affect rural wells
Additional subjects in this series include well plugging, water quality,
Principles of well location, well design, construction, completion, and quality control,
Well maintenance and rehabilitation, and water treatment
This program you are watching now deals only with activities that occur around the
Farmstead as opposed to crop and pasture land Several other programs address those needs
Now let us take a look at a visit I made recently to a rural farmstead in my district
You get him yet? Yeah, I am holding
Honey where is that checklist? Right here
Thank you Yeah, hello, Bill
Hi, Joe Willard, how you doing? We have been reading a lot in the paper about
water quality in the county, so we filled out that farm bureau’s water quality
Checklist they send out to everyone Uh huh
Well, frankly my wife and I had some questions about some of the items
Can you come out and go over it with us? Great Yeah, we will be here all day
There are a number of reference materials that
district conservationists have at their disposal To help evaluate farmstead water quality
Such as the SES field office technical guides, principles of ground water for
resource management systems, soil surveys, citizen’s guide to groundwater protection,
Published by EPA, state drinking water standards, and the water quality checklist
Published by the American Farm Bureau Federation Joe, the D.C.’s here
Good to see you again Bill Good to see you, Joe
You remember my wife, Anne? Of course, nice seeing you again, how are
the kids? Getting pretty big by now?
They are both doing great Jesse’s at a field trip today
Thank you for asking and thank you for coming out here to go over
This water quality checklist Sure, no problem, let us take a look
After going over it we realized there’s a lot of stuff around here
that may affect our well Sure, I will tell you what, this checklist
can be a darn good help Why do not we bring it along and look at the
well? Okay, the well’s out back here by the barn
Wells are susceptible to many contaminants that
may be found around the farmstead Well location and construction records are
important for this reason Any information that can be obtained about
the well, such as construction records, Will help determine
its vulnerability What are the characteristics of the aquifer?
Where is the well located in relationship to potential contaminants?
Is the well dug? Driven? Or drilled? What is the depth?
What is the age of the well? Judging from your checklist and drilling record,
looks like your well has been properly constructed and completed
We paid to have it done right; we weren’t about to scrimp on our family’s health
Yeah, there’s 20 feet of surface casing down to a tight clay layer, 10 feet of well
spring in the gravel at the bottom Also a good gravel pack to keep out the sand
That’s good, have you had your water tested in the past year?
We had it tested when we first put it in 10 years ago
I guess we better get that done again I realize that getting the water tested can
be expensive but I advise that you do so
There could be all kinds of contaminants like bacteria, nitrates, pesticides that could
affect your family’s health When we are finished with the checklist and
inspection You’ll know what to have the water tested
for I will give you the name and numbers of the
state agencies and private labs that can do the test
Is this your only well? No my grandfather dug a well over there by
the feedlot We used it right up till we drilled this one
We will look at that later The first thing we want to look at is the
septic system and its relationship to the well
Behind the house, and down the hill Leach field drain lines run down this way
Looks good on the surface According to the soil survey, you have a satisfactory
soil type The leach field is far enough away and downhill
from the well The leach field can be a source of contamination
Even if the leach field is downhill from the well
The cone of depression may draw contaminants into the well
Joe, if you find a problem when you have your water tested
We can examine and see if it is called by your leach field
Waste storage could also be a problem, but I do not think so
We took the well into account when we designed this waste lagoon
How is it doing? It is doing a good job, but I stay on schedule
with my pump to make sure it does not get too full
That’s good Speaking of animal waste, did not you say
your feed lot is close to that old well that Ann’s grandfather dug?
Yes it is, 100 feet from the feedlot to the well
The well’s over here We do not use it anymore
Well here she is, we have not had her open in a long time
Yeah, waste from the feedlot area could be working its way in the old well
and then across to your new well, depending on the depth of the 2 wells,
this one could be seeping into the gravel aquifer tap by the house well
How deep is this well? 22 feet
There is a possibility Do you ever plan on using this well again
No, we do not imagine so Then I recommend sealing this well
If anything gets into the old well, it could flow over to the new one
Besides, with kids running around here, you have a safety hazard, too
I will give you the names and addresses of states agencies that regulate well sealing
Old, unused, or abandoned wells need to be plugged
for safety and contamination reasons Well plugging is controlled by law in many
states Although laws differ slightly, common requirements
include cleaning out any debris so it will not pose continued problems, and
making sure the water bearing zone is sealed
You keep any ag chemicals on hand? How do you store them?
We store them safely in the shed I have quite a bit actually
I should say so We keep saving them because we think we might
need them someday We do not know what else we can do with them
The landfill will not take them That’s a problem
I have a list at the office of the agencies you can contact for disposal procedures
I’ll send it to you Thank you Bill
Leftover chemicals are a common problem on most farms
The easiest solution is to not buy more chemicals than you need
But if you do, follow instructions on the label for proper storage and disposal
Also, many counties sponsor hazardous waste pickup programs
Some state environmental agencies set procedures for disposal
While we are talking about chemicals, let us take a look at where you’ve been
mixing them and rinsing your spray equipment We are really careful about that
I always mix according to the instructions And I triple rinse the tanks and containers,
and I spray the rinse water Over the crops away from the house and the
well We have been really careful with the lawn
fertilizer and pesticides we put on our garden
Good Is this your only fuel storage system?
All this is the diesel for the tractors, gas for the trucks is over there
A lack of grass around the fuel tank indicates you’ve spilled fuel on the ground
Yeah, probably spilled some especially when I let the kids do it
You are pretty far from the well so I am not too concerned
But distances of even several hundred feet may not be sufficient protection
It is important to be careful to avoid spills May not be a problem, but it could be one
tomorrow I really need to be more careful, Joe
Yeah, I agree I know a family that had an underground storage
tanks with a leak in it, really messed up their well
Was that the Johnson farm? Yeah
I remember, the kids got really sick What do you do with your used motor oil and
antifreeze? We never dump it on the ground, we keep it
in containers in the barn I spread this oil on the driveway to keep
the dust and anthills down Does not your driveway run right by your house
well? Yes it does
Guess it could be causing ourselves a problem here?
Definite possibility I suggest you stop spreading it
Most service stations will recycle used oil You should dispose of antifreeze, oil filters,
batteries, and hazardous household waste properly
So you are saying you have an ant problem, what about termites?
No, we have an exterminator come out every year
They treat it when they need to Some of the stuff they use is potent, find
out what they’re using, and have it tested
That’s a good idea, I noticed a lotof pesticides are mentioned on the checklist
I am glad you took the time to fill it out, it got you and Ann thinking about your water
quality So what do you think?
For the most part, things look pretty good I did not see any problems on the surface
with the septic system And our animal waste treatment is doing just
fine But do not forget you need to get that abandoned
well cleaned out and sealed And Joe, we need to change our habits about
those chemicals The way I am handling the oil
In general, I would say you are both aware of what you are doing around the well
We better be, it is the only water we have got
The best thing is to prevent contamination in the first place and have your water tested
You bet Here’s the information I was telling you
about You know what to test for, and keep good records
We will do that, thank you Bill for coming out
My pleasure Check and test water once a year, any problems,
we will get together to solve the problem It is been a pleasure working with you
Let me know what the test results show, goodbye Joe, Ann
Bye Bye
Activities at the rural home site or farmstead probably represent the most
Immediate hazard to drinking water quality in rural America
With the assistance of federal, state, and local agency specialists,
You can make a difference, not only in individual wells,
But in the water resources of an entire community