Yellow / Gold Water After Rain Storm?

[Flat Panel]

We have just been hit with quite a few heavy rain storms over the past few weeks and now our water is yellow, gold or brown in color. It is normally very clear. The toilet tanks are discusting and I hate the thought of taking a shower or brushing my teeth with the water.

I filled a clear pitcher from the cold water tap and it doesn't have any sediment or floating particles. It has been sitting for about 2 hours now and it still looks dirty.

Coming out of the well, I have a check valve, pressure switch, bladder tank, chlorine injector, 80 gallon retention tank, chlorine removal media tank, water softner media tank and then to the house.


Is there anything I can do to clear this up? Would one of those pleated canister filters clean up the water? I currently have a hose bib at the house open to keep the water running through the system to hopefully clear it up.

Thanks.

[valveman]

If the rain is what caused your water to turn color, I would be concerned about the seal around the well or rain water getting into the aquifer somewhere else. Gary or someone else here can help you with filters and treatment but, you need to find out how the rain affected your water.

Rain causing your water to turn color is not a good thing. If rain water is getting into your well, it is washing lots of dirty stuff from the ground into your well.

Rain water can get into your well if the top is open, or if the well is not cemented properly. Rain can also enter from an unsealed abandoned well in the area or something similar. Find out how and where the rain is getting into your well and plug the leak, before worrying about more filters.

Oh and run enough hoses to keep the pump from cycling off while you are purging the well.

[speedbump]

It wouldn't be a bad idea to have the water tested for Bacteria and Nirtates/Nitrites. Fecal Bacteria is the one you should be concerned with.

bob...

[Ian Gills]

If that's beer you're pumping, you are one lucky man!

[Flat Panel]

Is it too late to have the water in the pitcher tested since it has been sitting out for 24 hours?

I have already flushed out the well by opening a few hose bibs to keep the pump running at 50psi for about 2 hours.

I guess I should take a raw water sample (before chlorination system, etc) into the local lab and have it tested.


We do live in an area with very high nirtates. Last time I had it tested for nitrate as NO3, it was 54mg/l at the well, 60mg/l after the filtering equipment, and 19mg/l after the RO system. Our water agency states 0-44mg/l is safe for consumption. We don't drink or cook with any of the water.

[Gary Slusser]

That's caused by iron; rusty water.

And I seriously doubt it has anything to do with recent rains. Do you have IRB (iron reducing bacteria)?

Since the pitcher is from after your treatment equipment, the equipment filter is not working, and if you asked about a filter because you don't have one now, you need one but... no disposable cartridge filter is good choice. You need an automatically backwashed filter. I suggest one with a Clack WS-1 control valve on it. And the filter has to be sized for your peak demand flow rate and should have a special carbon to remove the dirt and chlorine. Check my web site for more on SFR (service flow rating) info.

So list your equipment from the well to the house in order and a detailed description of each piece. And how old it is. If you have a solution feeder, it probably isn't working right. If you have one, how large is the retention tank? How many people in the house? How many bathrooms?