Well Water Problems
From coliform to the anaerobic organisms that make slime and smells — biology is a well-water problem you can engineer away.
Tell us about your water — we’ll recommend the right system. No obligation.
Private wells aren't regulated like city water — nobody tests them but you. Bacterial contamination comes in two flavors: the health-risk indicators (total coliform and E. coli, which signal surface water or septic intrusion) and the nuisance organisms — iron bacteria, anaerobic sulfur-reducing bacteria (the oxygen-eating organisms behind rotten-egg smells), high HPC counts, algae in storage tanks and cisterns, and the biofilm they all build inside casings, pressure tanks, and pipes.
The health screen is non-negotiable: every well should be tested for coliform annually and after any flood, repair, or change in taste or smell. A confirmed positive calls for shock chlorination of the well and plumbing, a retest — and an inspection for the entry point, because bacteria got in somehow.
For ongoing protection, the tools are UV disinfection (continuous, chemical-free kill step for clear water) and chlorine injection with contact time where nuisance colonies, biofilm, or iron/sulfur bacteria need active suppression — usually finished with carbon so the chlorine never reaches your glass. Storage tanks and cisterns that grow algae get the same treatment logic: disinfect, filter, and keep light out.
Which tool — or combination — depends on what a forensic water analysis actually finds. Guessing is how wells end up with a UV light dutifully sterilizing water that's still full of slime.
Total coliform + E. coli, annually and after floods or repairs. It's the test that tells you if the well is safe — everything else is comfort.
Testing →Iron bacteria, sulfur bacteria, HPC, algae, biofilm — not on the standard test, but they're what you smell, see, and unclog.
Iron bacteria →A continuous kill step with no chemicals — the right finish for clear, pre-filtered well water.
UV systems →Established colonies need chlorine injection with contact time — then carbon removes the chlorine before your taps.
Injection systems →The standard screen is total coliform and E. coli — the indicators regulators use. But wells also host nuisance organisms the standard test ignores: iron bacteria, sulfur-reducing (anaerobic) bacteria, and high HPC counts that signal biofilm in the system.
Don't panic, don't ignore it. A confirmed positive means shock chlorination, a retest, and if it recurs, continuous disinfection — UV or chlorine injection. We also look for the entry point: a bad well cap, casing crack, or surface intrusion.
UV inactivates bacteria, viruses, and cysts in clear water — but it needs pre-filtration to work (organisms hide behind particles), and it does nothing for the slime already in your plumbing. That's why system design matters more than any single device.
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