Nuisance Bacteria in the Well: It's Not Just About Coliforms
Due to their widespread occurrence in groundwater and well systems, the appearance of nuisance bacteria in wells is a common issue. Discoloration of the produced water, objectionable tastes, and odors are all indicative of bacterial fouling. While there are a number of bacteria capable of severely fouling a well, sulfate reducing bacteria, iron oxidizing bacteria, and anaerobic bacteria are the most important of these in relation to water well fouling. In the treatment of wells contaminated with nuisance bacteria, special attention should be paid to the kind of bacteria, their location in the well, and extent of the population. The severity of the fouling will affect the selection of well treatment methods. Monitoring the well through sampling and laboratory analysis following treatment is important due to the difficulty in thoroughly removing these organisms from the well system.
Water Systems Engineering Inc., Ottawa, KS