Cloudy well water during rainy downpours

[popscott]

Howdy.... Maybe someone can help me on this issue.
I have a well that is about 100-150 feet deep. There is a well head that was buried underground when I bought the place 10 years ago. It looks to be an expansion type that seals a rubber piece when tightened down. When it rained hard the well water would cloud up. Since then I have dug all the area around the head and poured a big concrete box that has a drain in the bottom. Still, when it rains hard, my water clouds up. I am sure the water is not getting anywhere near the well head now. I talked to the relatives of previous owner that was there when it was dug, and they assured me the well has been cased all the way down. Each time this happens, my Collagen system and water lines in the house have to be “shocked” with bleach to insure any contamination to be killed. Any thoughts????
Thanks in advance,
Scott

[agmantoo]

IMO, the rainwater is getting in from the outside of the casing, not the well head, because the casing is not properly seated at its base. Surface water is running down the outside of the casing and is seeping into the well. What is the casing material?

[Windy in Kansas]

Gotta yank your chain a bit---does the Collagen system keep wrinkles down?

[Cabin Fever]

If your well screen is in cracked and fissured limestone of dolomite, it is common to have cloudy water after a hard rain. Runoff moves sediment...and who knows what else...into sinkholes which clouds the water moving thru the limestone aquifer.

[agmantoo]

Cabin Fever,
Do you expect to have this problem in a well over 100 feet deep?

[Cabin Fever]

Originally Posted by agmantoo

Cabin Fever,
Do you expect to have this problem in a well over 100 feet deep?

It all depends how deep the watertable is. If the well is located the in an area of fractured limestone (karst geology) and the watertable in the limestone is deep, yes I could see this problem happening. On the other hand, if the watertable was shallow below the surface and then continued for 100+ feet in depth, then "No" I would not expect it.

[raymilosh]

I don't know if you need to shock your well after each rain event...unless you have confirmed that fecal coliform bacteria are entering the well. Chlorine is a strong chemical...bad for the well and the pipes and the living things that drink it. if it's just sediment, put on a filter.

I have seen properly cased wells that become cloudy after rain for the reasons CF described. Vertical fractures that are fed by a shallow water table can pipe shallow water down and it can enter the well.
In NC, the State will investigate a well problem if there is the possibility that the well driller violated the rules when installing the well. There is not charge for this service. If, however, the state does not suspect a rules violation, you can hire a private well driller to look down the well with a video camera to determine the source of the sediment. Based on the results, the driller may deterine that it is possible to seal off the fracture bearing the poor quality water and that there are other fractures that bear clean water. This process is called "lining a well."
I suggest you call the health dept, and tell them your story and ask them how to proceed.

[popscott]

If it's just sediment, put on a filter? My Collagen system has a filter and ultraviolet light in line, but the cloudiness still comes through. Fecal coli form bacteria, I have not had it tested, but we have a dog lot uphill from the well. Supposedly the ultraviolet light in the collagen system takes care of the bacteria stuff .

The casing is a thick walled metal pipe.

The water table has been depleting (each year) now for the last 10 years we have owned the place. Our 10 year total water table is supposed to be around 22 inches below a normal level. The last 2 years has been a terrible drought conditions here in SW Virginy. Yes we are primarily limestone ground around here, so the cracks you speak of could maybe be the problem.

Thanks in advance,
Scott

[Ken Scharabok]

I get my water directly from a spring coming out from under a hillside. When it rains heavy I get the problem Cabin Fever describes. I had to put a filter on the line or otherwise it would clog up nozzles, appliance filters and commode flushing mechanism.

[anniew]

If you find that the above doesn't seem to fit, maybe the wellhead is still letting in ground water. My well head was an inch or two below grade, and when tested the results showed E. coli (or coliform) in the water. I had someone come and weld an extra foot or so to it so that when it rained heavy, the wellhead was above any standing water. I then shocked it and have not had a problem since then.

[Cabin Fever]

Just so your know, if your well water is cloudy your UV system will not work properly. In other words, the UV light cannot penetrate thru cloudy water and consequently not kill any bacteria in it.