My Garden

Garden Wells

Last post 04-05-2009 1:53 PM by Waste Tech. 8 replies.

• 04/04/2009 10:51 AM
  Barada Location: Telford Joined on: 04 Apr 2009 Posts: 2	Reply | Contact We are lucky enough to have a well in our garden but the water appears to be stagnant - very smelly.  Should we be trying to improve the quality (we only want to use it for watering the garden - not drinking) or is it OK to use as is?   Would be grateful for any help or advice.

• 04/04/2009 10:55 AM	In reply to
  Phot's-Moll Location: The sunny South coast. Joined on: 06 Jan 2007 Posts: 3,347	Reply | Contact You could try using it on a small patch of grass as a test, but I would expect it to be OK for lawns and established plants. I would suggest you don't water seedlings and houseplants with it though. The smell will probably go if the well is used regularly.   Whether you think you can do a thing, or think you cannot, you are right.

• 04/04/2009 11:36 AM

  In reply to

  Andy Location: Frinton Joined on: 03 Apr 2009 Posts: 19

  Reply | Contact Yeah, I would agree with Phot's-Moll. Never had a well myself but I would imagine as you start using it and fresh water percolates in, that would help freshen it. No reason why the water wouldn't be okay to water some established plants. Testing on a patch of something is a good idea. Alternatively you could send a sample off to be anaylsed but the prices aren't cheap. These guys: http://www.watertests.co.uk/ have tests starting at £34.00 which would be a good few months of your water bill! Another thought would be to buy an acquarium water test kit. Not really meant for this but would give you an idea if the water was seriously contaminated before you start splashing it over the best rose bushes. Did I read somewhere that you can put a form of charcoal into water butts to keep them fresh? Maybe that would help? Not sure on that one but maybe someone else can help.

• 07/04/2009 12:21 AM	In reply to
  Lisa MTT Location: Cambs Joined on: 08 Mar 2009 Posts: 42	Reply | Contact Have you tried ringing your water company and/or the Environment Agency? They will know whether there are any groundwater quality issues in your area, eg a pesticide problem. They may also offer a suite of tests at a far more competitive price than a commercial company. Good luck "Don't be afraid to go out on a limb. That's where the fruit is." H Jackson Browne

• 07/04/2009 07:08 AM

  In reply to

  bogweevil Location: Joined on: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 2,043

  Reply | Contact Shalllow wells are often contaminated with effluent from septic tanks, sewers, farm slurry spreading etc, which matter not at all for plants, which will relish the nutrients.  However it is rather unsavoury for say, salad veg and you may wish to stick to the company mains for them. You can have a cheap test done to detect faecal bacteria and hence sewage or slurry contamination - your local EHO can probably arrange.  Again faecal bacteria no big deal unless you are watering veg. You can legally pump a suprising amount from your well - easily enough to water most domestic gardens - check with your local Environment Agency office. For a clean supply you may need to sink a deeper borehole which is cost effective for very large gardens as shallow wells are apt to have slow rate of water infiltration or even run dry in prolonged droughts To test your well hire a pump and pump the well dry measuring the amount of water pumped out (bucketfulls per minute - we are not talking rocket science here).  Then time how long the well refills - if in minutes you have a very good well if days it is not so good.   Boggy Beware the bat-eared bogweevil

• 29/04/2009 03:49 PM	In reply to
  mcrandi Location: Joined on: 29 Apr 2009 Posts: 6	Reply | Contact septic tanks and cleaners are very important to keep you garden clean and its product healthier you can find more important details on septic tank cleaners at our website www.septic-waste-treatment.com

• 04/05/2009 01:17 PM

  In reply to

  Waste Tech Location: Joined on: 01 Oct 2008 Posts: 3

  Reply | Contact Our deep borehole, which was also our drinking water supply, also developed an evil smell and when we had it tested, the faecal coliform bacteria count was through the roof. Our neighbour had installed a septic tank only months previously and although the septic tank soakaway was over 90 metres away, the effluent had found its way into the borehole.  The water was so contaminated that we could not use it even for watering the garden as the aerosol effect would put everyone breathing in the vapour at risk.  We had to connect to the mains for the farmhouse supply. When our cattle started to refuse to drink it, we filled the borehole in! It seems to me that the current legislation of 50 metres distance between a septic tank soakaway and a well or borehole is not far enough!

• 04/05/2009 01:21 PM	In reply to
  bogweevil Location: Joined on: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 2,043	Reply | Contact You should have reported so egregrious a case of blatant pollution to the Environment Agency: http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/pollution/water/default.aspx    Boggy Beware the bat-eared bogweevil

• 04/05/2009 01:53 PM

  In reply to

  Waste Tech Location: Joined on: 01 Oct 2008 Posts: 3

  Reply | Contact If I was in England at the time, I would have, but the house is in Ireland, where, although the EPA is supposed to act on pollution, nothing gets done about it. I have seen cases of septic tanks being installed 'back to front' with the inlet as the outlet, toilets connected directly to the ditches, overflows of sewage from entire housing estates going directly to streams, etc. and NOTHING is done. The 'ENERGY CENTRE' for Cork County Council has raw sewage and toilet paper flowing past in the stream every time it rains, right outside their offices, County Galway could not drink the tap water for years because of septic tank contamination of groundwaters, County Kerry now has a groundwater contamination problem - what chance is there of anything being done about my borehole?