Lead in Your Water Well? Here’s What You Should Do

Lead in your drinking water is a serious health risk that requires immediate attention. When this toxic metal shows up in your water well, you need to take action fast. Your drinking water plays a huge role in keeping you and your family healthy, as you can expect. Whether you’re cooking, cleaning, or just grabbing a glass of water, lead exposure through your private well can impact your daily life. We’ll give you the rundown on how lead gets into your well, why it’s there, and what you can do to fix it and keep it from coming back.

How Lead Gets Into Your Water Well

Lead can sneak into your private drinking water wells through several paths. One of the most common ways is through old lead plumbing and lead solder used to join copper pipes. These materials were widely used before 1986, when the Safe Drinking Water Act put strict limits on lead in plumbing materials. If you have an older home, you’re more likely to have lead pipes or fixtures.

Lead particles can also seep into your well water from the surrounding soil. This usually happens when the groundwater becomes acidic, causing lead to dissolve from natural deposits or old buried materials. The problem gets worse if your well casing is damaged or if gaps in the well cap let contaminated surface water flow in.

Another source? The faucet’s screen and internal parts might contain lead, especially in older fixtures. Even newer brass faucets and fixtures can legally contain up to 0.25% lead. That’s why it’s super important to check your entire water system, from the well itself right up to your tap water fixtures.

What Lead in Your Water Means for Your Health

Lead exposure through drinking water systems is no joke. It can cause serious health issues, especially for kids and pregnant women. Your body can’t process lead, so it builds up over time, potentially leading to learning disabilities in children, kidney problems, and high blood pressure in adults.

Even low levels of lead in your private water systems can be harmful. The tricky part? You can’t see, smell, or taste lead in water. That’s why regular testing of your water quality and water treatment services are always emphasized as such a big deal. Don’t rely on hot water for drinking or cooking, as lead dissolves more easily in hot water than in cold water.

The effects of lead poisoning can show up in different ways. Kids might seem tired all the time or have trouble focusing at school. Adults might deal with joint pain or digestive issues. The scary part is that some damage from lead exposure can’t be reversed, which is why prevention is so important.

How Common Is Lead Contamination in Water Wells?

Lead contamination in private drinking water wells is more common than you might think. Unlike community water systems, which receive regular testing and treatment, private well owners are responsible for their own water quality testing. Many wells go unchecked for years, potentially exposing families to lead and other contaminants.

The problem varies by region and depends greatly on your well’s age and construction. Older wells, especially those drilled before the 1990s, are more likely to have components containing lead. If your home was built before 1986, there’s a higher chance of having lead solder or lead plumbing materials somewhere in your system.

Many private water systems across the country face this challenge. Millions of American households rely on private wells, and a significant portion of these wells haven’t been tested for lead in years, if ever. This is particularly concerning because lead contamination can develop gradually over time, even in wells that previously tested safe.

Getting the Lead Out of Your Water Well

So, what you’re probably wondering now is how you can remove lead from your private well water. Thankfully, you have several options. First things first: get your water tested by certified experts. This will tell you exactly how much lead you’re dealing with and help guide your next steps.

If lead shows up in your test results, don’t panic. Start by identifying the source. Sometimes, it’s as simple as replacing old faucets or removing lead solder from pipes. Other times, you might need a whole-house filtration system. Point-of-use filters that attach to your faucet can work, too, but make sure they’re certified for lead removal.

When tackling lead issues, consider your whole plumbing system. If you have lead pipes, they need to be removed. While that’s happening, flush your pipes before using water each morning by running cold water for at least a minute.

Preventing Lead Contamination in Your Well

When it comes to lead in your water well, prevention beats cure every time. Regular well maintenance plays a huge role in keeping your drinking water quality high. Start with annual water testing, as it’s the best way to catch problems early.

Keep your well cap sealed tight and maintain the area around your well. Slope the ground away from your well to prevent surface water from pooling around it. If you’re getting any work done on your plumbing, make sure to use lead-free materials.

Well chlorination and inspections can help with many water quality issues, though they won’t directly remove lead. However, they are part of good overall well maintenance, which helps prevent corrosion that can release lead into your water. Remember to check your well’s pH levels regularly, as acidic water can cause more lead to leach from pipes and fixtures.

Let’s Deal With Your Lead Problem Together

Lead in drinking water from your water wells is a serious issue that needs quick action. If you’ve found lead in your water, act fast, as the health of everyone using that water depends on addressing the problem right away. At Paramount Well Service, we help folks across NJ keep their water safe and clean. We can test for lead contamination, figure out where it’s coming from, and fix the problem. Plus, we’ll check for any other issues while we’re at it. Call us today for residential and commercial water well services across the Garden State.