Adams County Workshops Highlight Wellwater Security
DAVE LEFEVER
Lancaster Farming Staff
GETTYSBURG (Adams Co.)
Drought or no drought, home
owners with private wells should
pay attention to their water sup
ply.
Unusually low groundwater
levels across the region this
spring at a time when they
should be approaching their year
ly high heightens the concern.
Adams County residents re
cently attended wellwater work
shops here March 18 and 25
aimed at helping ensure a safe
supply of water from their well.
They learned about groundwater
movement, well drilling, water
testing, and homeowner handling
of fertilizers and pesticides.
According to Tom McCarty,
multicounty water quality exten
sion agent, starting the spring
season with low groundwater lev
els is risky for some private water
supplies.
“I think we’re going to head
into the summer with low (water)
levels,” he said, predicting the
likelihood of “shallow” wells
going dry.
Randy Alexander of Alexan
der’s Well Drilling, Fairfield, said
that most of the drought-related
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problems he has seen are with
shallow water sources such as
springs and hand-dug wells, or
drilled wells less than 100 feet
deep.
“We haven’t seen much prob
lem with deeper wells,” he said.
Alexander noted that deep
wells can also go dry especially
if they are fed by groundwater
from a shallow level. However,
wells that are drawing water
from depths of more than 100
feet will likely keep producing a
steady supply, he said.
For homeowners, direct moni
toring of groundwater levels on
your property is difficult, usually
requiring an expensive water
level meter to lower into the well,
according to Penn State exten
sion information. A less direct
but more practical way to gauge
water levels is by referring to U.S.
Geological Survey data gathered
from 67 monitoring wells across
the state. Website posting this in
formation is found at
http://pa.water.usgs.gov/dur
plots/well_duration.html.
McCarty demonstrated the
movement of water in the ground
by using a cross-sectional model
consisting of soil, colored water, a
stream bed, and observation
wells.
Rivers and larger streams tend
to be natural dividing points for
groundwater movement, he
pointed out.
Under normal conditions,
groundwater moving toward a
stream bed will generally not flow
across or under the stream bed to
the other side. Accordingly, any
contamination in the groundwa
ter on one side of the stream will
not usually reach the water table
on the other side.
If drought conditions cause a
stream to dry up, however,
groundwater and any contami
nants in it could potentially
cross under the streambed.
Flood waters can carry surface
contamination across these natu
ral boundaries as well, McCarty
said.
Groundwater movement is also
affected by the type of material
that surrounds it in the earth, he
said. A relatively loose material
such as gravel (or limestone) al
lows faster water movement than
a denser substrate.
Dr. Irving Kipnis, lab director
of Express Analytical Services,
Inc., Chambersburg, gave an
overview of water quality testing.
While water can be tested for a
wide spectrum of contaminants.
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homeowners usually need to con
cern themselves with only a few
of them, according to Kipniss.
Bacteria is at the top of the list.
“The most important test to do
for a home well is for coliform
bacteria,” Kipniss said, pointing
out that the Pennsylvania De
partment of Environmental pro
tection recommends testing once
a year.
Though coliforms are common
above ground and most are not
harmful in themselves, they indi
cate the possible presence of
harmful types such as E. coli.
The absence of coliforms general
ly means no harmful kinds are
present, he said.
Nitrates are a concern for wells
in farming and residential areas
with high fertilizer applications.
Water hardness and pH follow
on the list of the most widely
used water tests for homeowners.
Metals such as lead can also be a
concern, especially in homes with
older plumbing.
Each of the most common
water tests cost less than $3O,
according to Kipniss. Some local
conservation districts, such as the
one in Adams County, also offer
better rates to homeowners by
sending samples to the lab in
bulk.
Philip Pitzer, environmental
safety specialist with the Pennsyl
vania Department of Agriculture,
delivered encouraging news
about the impact of pesticides on
water quality in the state.
Of 1,100 wells tested for five
major pesticides since 1993, only
three of the wells showed a prob
lem, he said.
Hie program focuses on “vul
nerable areas,” with high concen
trations of agriculture. Water
samples are analyzed for the
presence of atrazine, alachlor,
metolachlor, simazine, and cy
an azine. Acetachlor has recently
been added to the list.
The state has also gathered
and disposed of about 1.1 million
pounds of old pesticides and re
cycled about a half million
pounds through another pro
gram, Chemsweep, begun in
1993. About 265,000 pounds of
pesticide containers have been re
cycled at 137 locations statewide
for pesticide container recycling,
Pitzer said
For more information on water
conservation and quality, contact
your local conservation district.