natural spring

[scosgrove]

We have a small natural spring on our property, who can help us tap into the water source? Would like to find out if the water quality is suitable for drinking.

 

[shibumiseeker]

If you live in the southern part of the state I can pretty much tell you that you will need to treat it. Karst aquifers don't do any filtering/treating at all. If you live in the northern part of the state, you may not need to treat it depending on what aquifer it comes from and what is nearby you.

The nearest water treatment facility to you will either test your water for a fee ($10 or so), or will tell you who they send water to for testing. They usually only test for biologicals for that $10 fee, more advanced testing costs a lot more.

Also be aware that in a spring, base flow is usually cleaner than high flow, so your results can change from before and after rain events or seasonally.

As far as treating it, I occasionally pump water from my spring into my holding tank when the tank is getting low (tank is filled from the roof) and I mix in bleach in the proper ratio for the size of tank I have, temperature outside, and residence time before I want to use it. I also filter water I use for drinking just for taste. The nice thing is it's hard to overchlorinate the water, though taking a shower when you do can feel like being in a swimming pool