Water Quality: Protecting Household Drinking Water
Module 3

Lesson 2 - Drinking Water Well Management Activity
Acknowledgement: Taken from "Living on the Land 2001"

ASSESSMENT 1 – Well Location

	LOW RISK	MEDIUM RISK	HIGH RISK	YOUR RISK
Position of well in relation to pollution resources	Well is uphill from all pollution sources. Surface water doesn’t reach well or is diverted.	Well is level with or uphill from most pollution sources. Some surface water runoff may reach well.	Well is downhill from pollution sources or in a pit or depression. Surface water runoff reaches well.	___ Low ___ Medium ___ High
Separation distances between well and pollution sources*	Distances from potential pollution sources meet or exceed all state minimum requirements.	Some but not all distances from potential pollution sources meet state minimum requirements.	Distances from most or all potential pollution sources do not meet state minimum requirements.	___ Low ___ Medium ___ High
Soil type	Soil is fine-textured like clay loams or silty clay.	Soil is medium-textured like silt or loam.	Soil is coarse-textured like sand, sandy loam, or gravel.	___ Low ___ Medium ___ High
Subsurface conditions	The water table or fractured bedrock are deeper than 50 feet.	The water table or fractured bedrock are 20 to 50 feet deep.	The water table or fractured bedrock are shallower than 20 feet.	___ Low ___ Medium ___ High

*Suggested minimum separation distance is 100 feet.

Adapted with permission from Home*A*Syst: An Environmental Risk-Assessment Guide for the Home, NRAES-87.

ASSESSMENT 2 – Well Construction and Maintenance

	LOW RISK	MEDIUM RISK	HIGH RISK	YOUR RISK
Well age	Well is less than 20 years old.	Well is 20 to 50 years old.	Well is more than 50 years old.	___ Low ___ Medium ___ High
Well type	Drilled well.	Driven-point (sand-point) well.	Dug well.	___ Low ___ Medium ___ High
Casing height above land surface	Casing is 12 inches or more above the surface. If the area floods, casing is 1 foot to 2 feet above the highest recorded flood level.	Casing is at the surface or up to 12 inches above the surface.	Casing is below the surface or in a pit or basement.	___ Low ___ Medium ___ High
Condition of casing and well cap (seal)	No holes or cracks are visible. Cap is tightly attached. A screened vent faces the ground.	No holes or cracks are visible. Cap is loose.	Holes or cracks are visible. Cap is loose or missing. Running water can be heard or seen.	___ Low ___ Medium ___ High
Casing depth relative to land surface	Casing extends 50 feet or more below the land surface.	Casing extends 20 to 50 feet below the land surface.	Casing extends less than 20 feet below the land surface.	___ Low ___ Medium ___ High
Backflow protection	Anti-backflow devices are installed.	Measures are sometimes taken to prevent backflow.	No anti-backflow devices are installed.	___ Low ___ Medium ___ High
Well inspection and “tune-up”	Well was inspected within the last 10 years.	Well was inspected 10 to 20 years ago.	Well was inspected more than 20 years ago or owner doesn’t know when well was last inspected.	___ Low ___ Medium ___ High

Adapted with permission from Home*A*Syst: An Environmental Risk-Assessment Guide for the Home, NRAES-87.

ASSESSMENT 3 – Water Testing and Unused Wells

LOW RISK

MEDIUM RISK

HIGH RISK

YOUR RISK

Water testing

Consistent, good water quality. Tests meet standards for bacteria, nitrate, and other contaminants.

Some tests do not meet standards or tests approach standards.

Water is not tested. Water is discolored after a rainstorm or during spring melt. There are noticeable changes in color, odor and taste.

___ Low

___ Medium

___ High

Unused wells on your property or in your area

There are no unused wells, or there are unused wells that are properly sealed.

There are unused wells that are not sealed but are capped and isolated from contaminants.

There are unused, unsealed wells that are in poor condition, near pollution sources and/or are uncapped.

___ Low

___ Medium

___ High

Source: Home*A*Syst: An Environmental Risk-Assessment Guide for the Home, NRAES-87.

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