Backflow Preventer Questions

[Darryl G]

Originally Posted by cppendergrast

I have dealt with irrigation well systems that were located next to malfunctioning sewer pump stations and seen results of the legal aspects of serving people fecal matter. It doesn't matter if it is animal or human. It will make people sick. The best thing you could do is refer them to a qualified person to identify the source.

In most places, a reduced pressure backflow assembly is not required on a well. An RP would be used to protect a city supply or a well from a potential high hazard source, ie. chemicals, etc. going backwards. It would appear that your source is already contaminated.

The contamination could be coming from the well. Yes, the annular seal on the well may have failed and the animal feces may be going underground. There can be any number of possibilities but unless you are trained in this, I'd leave it alone.

Again, let an accredited person or company find the source and recommend a fix. Any mis-diagnosis could lead to lawsuits. Google water well contamination and legal actions.

The Water Pollution Control Commission (WPCC) and the District Health Department are both involved and have been for months, but all they do is test it, find comtamination and have it chlorinated. There are no sewers in the area, but there has to be a septic system somewhere. Presumably it's downgradient of the well or a good distance away...still a potential source but it's my experience that it's not very common for septic systems to cause fecal coliform contamination in the bedrock aquifer.

I was actually in the enviromental consulting and engineering field for 15 years, mostly dealing with investigation and cleanup of contaminated properties. I did do some clean water work for water companies as well. I was able to get to the bottom of an issue relating to lead contamination in private water supply wells in my town a couple of years ago that paid consultants couldn't for years...I did it in about 2 hours. I'm acting as an advisor to one of the staff members of the WPCC at this point. Just trying to help since nobody else seems to have any ideas.