Well water treatment is a common solution for individuals and businesses that access water from reserves on their properties. You might wonder why well water treatment systems are necessary so let's look closer at the issue.

Is Treatment Always Necessary?

In the strictest sense, the answer is no. You might win the well water lottery and strike a water source that is perfectly ready to use. Some geological features do act as filters and treatments for the water in them, and folks who access these wells won't have to make adjustments to their systems.

Testing

No one knows whether they've won the well water treatment lottery until they've performed some testing. You should collect several samples from the well and send them to an independent lab. A professional analysis will give you a good idea of what might be wrong with the water.

If you luck out, that's awesome. However, you should never assume that your well won't need treatment. Do the testing and make sure you're dealing with clean and safe water.

Types of Trouble

Most water requires some sort of treatment. The problem could be as simple as one or two minerals causing funny smells. It also could be as serious as infectious bacteria in the water. Likewise, you may find multiple issues with the water. It could have a high salt content and be slightly too alkaline, for example. Some chemicals can also be problematic.

Does It Matter?

A lot depends on what the problem is. Some issues are fundamentally nuisances. The wrong chemicals in the water might produce hard water issues when you do your laundry, for example. This probably won't be great for a residence's pipes, but there are scenarios where it won't sicken or kill anyone.

Similarly, your use case will dictate what sorts of well water treatment systems you might need to install. For example, a business using well water for industrial purposes may only need to treat it for the presence of minerals that react with its processes. Conversely, folks who need drinking water at residences may be concerned about everything from minerals to pathogens.

Bear in mind not all well water treatment options can solve all problems. If you have a well on top of a tar-heavy coal seam, for example, the water may not be treatable. Once more, testing is your friend so make sure you verify the water is treatable before you invest in treatment systems. Contact a company like Cuttings Water Works to get started.