Pennsylvania has the second-highest number of private water supplies in the U.S, with the latest data estimating it’s over a million homes and farms.
Yet there are no statewide regulations on constructing or testing private water systems, and Penn State estimates 45% have never been tested.
“That’s up to you as a private water system owner or user to kind of take things into your own hands when it comes to water supply protection and testing and treatment,” Susan Boser, Penn State Extension water educator, said during a recent webinar.
Private water supplies generally come in the form of spring boxes which collect groundwater from natural springs, a private well or a cistern. Even if it’s a private water supply, it’s still a shared resource, Boser said. When tapping into the aquifer that contains groundwater, it’s being shared with the people around them. All the water will eventually make its way to a watershed.
One issue, Boser said, is supply owners generally won’t test water regularly unless they notice an issue with how it looks or tastes or smells.
“Even if your supply has always tasted great and you’ve never had any issues with it, it’s a really good idea to kind of get into that method of testing your water supply,” Boser said. “If something changes you can be aware of that and make some changes.”
Why You Should Test Regularly
It’s recommended to test water every 14 months to account for seasonal changes like flooding or droughts, Boser said. Things like bacteria can fluctuate with those seasonal changes.
Preventing pollution is paramount to protecting water supplies. Boser said groundwater is somewhat more protected than surface water from pollution but if it is polluted, it’s tougher to clean than surface water.
“Part of that is because we don’t see it unlike surface water,” Boser said, “but also groundwater moves very slowly, so you can have a contamination event and the results won’t show up in your well or your drinking water until some time later.”
There are ways to help minimize the risk of pollution in private water supplies, Boser said. With a spring, owners should have a collection system to concentrate the flow and a reinforced and sealed concrete spring box to keep out contaminants. Owners should be able to get in and clean that box, as 75% of spring boxes have coliform bacteria, Boser said.
With wells, it’s not just the immediate area that water is pulled from, Boser said. It’s important to keep it at least 50 to 100 feet from potential pollution sources like roads. Building it upslope from potential sources can help as well.
“By thinking about where it is in relation to these other things that could be impacts, you can kind of take some extra care,” Boser said.
It’s up to the owner, Boser said, to meet the standards of the EPA and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection with their private drinking water.
