Eco Advocacy

Water Conservation

Water is perhaps the most valuable resource on the planet, yet it is taken for granted and wasted on a daily basis. Whether you obtain your water requirements from a public water supply or from your own well, water is a very precious commodity.

Well Monitoring

On a practical level, people with their own wells are well advised to have the levels measured and the water analyzed periodically. The risks of water contamination and danger to human and animal health from a pollution event are ever present. Pollution may result from a poorly functioning septic tank or from an agricultural or industrial discharge in the area of the aquifer.

There have been many such cases of reported contamination in recent years with 'E-coil' (Escherichia coil) and 'Cryptosporidium parvum' being of particular note. It is recommended that water be regularly analysed for quality. See:

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

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

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

If water levels in your well are dropping, then this may be indicative of over-extraction from the groundwater aquifer. This may occur where a quarry operator is dewatering a quarry to facilitate extraction, thereby lowering the water-table and potentially affecting nearby wells. Often they [quarries] will be licensed / permitted to operate by a local authority or regulator and conditions may be imposed having regard to the water table. However well intentioned, it is very difficult to police such conditions unless people are maintaining a record of levels within their own wells. A hydrogeologist can advise on the broader issues based on data provided to him/ her. They will also be in a position to measure your well for you. I would be happy to recommend a hydrogeologist in your area.

Below is pictured a piece of equipment we use myself for doing measuring well levels. As soon as the probe comes into contact with water, the device will sound and illuminate. Great caution is required when using the equipment as if the probe becomes entangled with pumps or cables, that could mean the end for a very expensive piece of kit.