Bacteria Testing & Removal

Worried About Bacteria (Coliform or E. coli) in Your Well?

A bacteria (coliform, E. coli) test can alleviate those concerns. Capital Well Clean Water Center is a licensed water well contractor, proudly serving the Granite State and beyond since 1986. Call 603.774.6155 today and let us share our clear vision for your water.

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Concerned About Bacteria in Your Well Water?

A bacteria (coliform, E. coli) test is crucial to ensuring the water in wells is safe to drink. Coliforms are naturally occurring bacteria present in the environment and used as an indicator that other, potentially harmful, bacteria may be present. Fecal coliform and E. coli bacteria in well water indicate the water may be contaminated by human or animal wastes. These bacteria are harmful to human health. As coliforms can be found in plant and soil material, the bacteria can pass into water through defective or aged well construction, such as through caps or faulty seals, cracks, or holes in the well casing, or quite commonly in, during well flooding at the end of winter.

Bacteria Sources & Pathways

• Runoff from woodlands, pastures, and feedlots; septic tanks and sewage plants; and animals (wild or domestic).
• Backflow from contaminated sources such as a sink-top carbon filter or bucket of water.
• Reduced pressure or suction in water lines that draw in soil water at the pipe joints.
• Through faulty sanitary seals in the well system such as when the well cap, grout around the well casing, or pitless adapter that connects an underground water distribution pipe to the well are compromised.

Many types of bacteria are native or adapted to saturated sediments and rock, and are present in significant numbers in aquifers.

Since bacteria infected water is odorless and tasteless, and contamination cannot be visually ascertained, a total coliform test should be done by a trusted water treatment specialist to determine the presence of fecal coliforms and, most importantly, E. coli, which is known to cause serious illness. While coliform bacteria, in general, may not cause illness, its presence is often an indicator that other disease-causing organisms, such as E. coli, may be present.

The total coliform test is a two-step process, first to determine whether or not coliform bacteria exists in the water, and second to determine whether the bacteria is of fecal origin. If the presence of these bacteria is confirmed, Capital Well Clean Water Center has you covered. Forget about juggling contractors; our team will work with you from the first step to the last, including well repair or replacement services (if necessary). We care for your systems—and the health and safety of your family’s drinking water—as if it were our own.