We have been experiencing cloudy/muddy water ever since we purchased our house 3 years ago. It does not happen all the time. We most often notice a discoloration after it rains- but again not all the time. Once it was discolored and we had received no rain. Our neighbors also experience problems with cloudy water at times (one of our neighbors has her well cased all the way down around 100-ish feet and has had cloudy water).

The turbidity of the water can be anywhere from slightly cloudy, to at it's worse- an apple cider color with fine sediment swirling in it. Currently we are experiencing the "apple cider" water and just got 2-3 inches of rain yesterday.

Our well was drilled in 1977 and is 135ft deep. (0-60ft Clay, 60-135ft Limestone- but it has been suggested to us it could be "fractured" Limestone, due to the geology of the area.) It is grouted to 50ft. Steel casing is to 75ft and nominal diameter top casing is 6 inches. Well Pump is around 108ft.

Inside we have a 44 gallon storage tank, then goes through a 30 micron inline filter, then a 10 micron filter, then a water softener and UV light. Even after all this, when drawn into a large container our water can be very dark/cloudy.

A water test done by the health department said we had ecoli & coliform bacteria... and so we put in the UV light.

We had a well company come out months ago when it was very cloudy. Suspected it was surface water getting in. They put a camera down but could not determine where it might be entering (too cloudy). They said it was cloudy at the top 20ft (or so) of the well, then was clearer toward the bottom and suggested putting in a packer and liner.

Some of the issues we are having lead us to believe the problem is surface water getting in. But then, the geology of the area and some issues our neighbors have had lead us to believe it is the source.

If we were to put in a packer/liner would it guarantee clear water? (even though we're filtering out 10 micron now and still have issues)

Other thoughts/suggestions on our problem also welcome.

 

When the camera was in the well did they say the casing was intact? Parts of my county have very corrosive soil that can eat through a steel casing in a few years. It's such a problem that steel casings are no longer permitted and they must be plastic. When the casing rusts through surface water can more easily enter the well contaminating it with biologicals and silt. Sleeving is the common fix if that's the problem and it can be pretty effective at returning water quality.

Do you know if your water quality was ever better or has it always been turbid? If the water was clear sometime in the past it can mean that clear water is available and the recent turbidity might be the result of some change in the well, like a corroded through casing.

In the end none of us have seen your well so we can only speculate at best. As with many things in life there are no guarantees. Your well person is in the best position to advise you of each options chance of success.

 

Thanks for your response Pilot Dane. It was too cloudy for them to see if the casing was intact when they put the camera down. We called them to come back later when the water cleared, but they never showed. Been pondering on this and trying to gather more info since then.

For the three years we've been here, we've experience the turbid water issue on and off. Usually after it rains. However, our neighbors have newer wells than ours and they have experienced cloudy water also.

Wondering how effective a sleeve has been for people with a bad water source (and fine particles)?