Y2K concerns raise well water wants

December 14, 1999 (AP) Homeowners concerned the year 2000 computer glitch will reduce their water flow to a trickle have sparked a boom for well diggers.

The amount of wells drilled in Tennessee as of this fall already matches the number for all of 1998, according to state records. Some diggers believe the figure may be even higher since wells sometimes are reported to the state Department of Environment and Conservation as long as two months after theyre built.

Our business has doubled for residential wells, said Ed Short of Miller Drilling Co. of Chattanooga. This year, weve had a lot of home wells and hand pumps.

The state saw an increase in well numbers starting last year. Normally, between 4,500 and 5,000 wells are drilled in Tennessee, but that number jumped to 5,500 in 1998.

The building boom partly explains the increase but well diggers say Y2K fears have been a major factor.

The so-called y2k computer glitch involves older model computers and software programs that were programmed to recognize only the last two digits of a year. Those not updated when Jan. 1 arrives may assume it is 1900 and malfunction.

Tom McGill, a geologist at Geotek Drilling Co. in Chattanooga, said calls to his office doubled between April and November.

(Callers) also wanted to know about hand pumps to operate wells without electricity, McGill told the Chattanooga Times and Chattanooga Free Press. We would tell them it wouldnt do any good to drill a water well without an electric pump.

The trend is raising health concerns, said David Draughton, the state water supply director. There have been cases of contamination in homes with wells and public water service since untreated well water can be drawn into the public system, he said, recommending that homeowners call their public utility to find out about safety precautions before they start drilling.

Gary Burris, head of the states water supply division in Chattanooga, says homeowners may be wasting their money. Officials expect no major disruptions, but even if the computer-operated systems fail, water can be regulated manually, he said.

I would suggest homeowners, if anything, store water in jugs if theyre concerned, he said. But personally, I dont think anybody needs to drill a well. I dont think theres going to be any problems.

http://www.msnbc.com/local/WSMV/24150.asp

-- LOON (blooney10@aol.com), December 16, 1999

Answers

Hmmmmmmn...guess our well driller didn't know that it would do no good to drill a well with no electric pump. Our well is 150ft deep and has a deep well hand pump that works just fine. I hope those people went and got another will driller that had some sense!

Taz

-- Taz (Tassi123@aol.com), December 16, 1999.

"There have been cases of contamination in homes with wells and public water service since untreated well water can be drawn into the public system, he said, recommending that homeowners call their public utility to find out about safety precautions before they start drilling."

?????????????????????????????? Somebody make sense of this?????????

-- Tommy Rogers (Been there@Just a Thought.com), December 16, 1999.

"There have been cases of contamination in homes with wells and public water service since untreated well water can be drawn into the public system, he said, recommending that homeowners call their public utility to find out about safety precautions before they start drilling."

?????????????????????????????? Somebody make sense of this?????????

I'm not really sure exactly what he's talking about but it might be that he's talking about folks plumbing their houses to both well water and city water with the same plumbing.

I had some ask about doing this with their pool water some time back and suggested against it, for just this reason.

.........Alan.

The Prudent Food Storage FAQ, v3.5

http://www.providenceco-op.com

-- A.T. Hagan (athagan@sprintmail.com), December 16, 1999.

Please take into consideration the deep drought in much of the U.S. which has lasted for the better part of two years.

The company I work for supplies equipment to the water well drilling industry. I speak with well drillers on a daily basis. The MAIN cause of increased business is directly attributable to the drought.

-- Bingo1 (howe9@shentel.net), December 16, 1999.

The solution is to install a backflow prevention device to prevent water from the nonpublic (untreated) side of the system to be drawn into the public side should a (relative) drop in pressure on the public water side occur.

I think Draughton was misquoted. I don't think this is a drilling issue, but rather one of operating the well if it is tied into the house's plumbing network.

-- Brooks (brooksbie@hotmail.com), December 16, 1999.

Tommy is not so far off base. If you know anyone who had a well then was able(required) to hook up to municipal water, I think you will find they were given the option of maintaining the well as a completely separate water system or shutting it down and filling it in. That is at least the way it works around here. You can keep your well and use to water the lawn, fill the pool, or brew your beer but the well cannot interconnect with the municipal system. And of course they charge you to make sure your well is legal.

Since the municipality is liable for the water it provides, it wants to be sure that the water it provides is its water.

I'm on well. Once a year I draw a sample and get it tested and one time during the last ten years, I did get a positive bacteria test. I wasn't thrilled. I went home and chlorinated the well. All was fine. Otherwise I chlorinate the well twice a year, so 2 weeks ago I, for good measure, it got its winter treatment. I figure going into the holidays and Y2K it was a good time.

You see, our aquifer suffers from the presence of iron binding bacteria. They don't hurt you buy they can lend an rather unpleasant smell to the water (kind of like a beauty parlor on saturday morning). Without treatment, the water is not particularly appealing. Chlorination ruins those little suckers day - it also releases the iron they have locked up and turns the water brown and it takes a couple weeks to settle down.

So I can honestly say, you wouldn't want the wells in our area inter-connected to municipal system.

Good Luck jh

-- john hebert (jt_hebert@hotmail.com), December 16, 1999.