Glossary

The terms this notebook keeps coming back to, by section. A linked term has its own note.

Storage

• Reading a Lab Report — How to interpret the results of a water test, including common parameters and what they mean for stored water.
• Using Stored Water for Non Potable Tasks — Which household jobs can safely use lower-quality stored water, and which need potable water.
• Well Water Storage Basics — How private well systems interact with household storage, including pressure tanks and reserve supplies. See also: Private Well Parts and Operation.
• What Actually Fails During Outages — A look at the real failure points in household water systems when power goes out or supply is interrupted. See also: Private Well Parts and Operation.
• Why Stored Water Goes Stale — Explains the biological and chemical changes that make stored water taste flat or become unsafe over time.

Wells

• Annual Well Inspection Checklist — A list of components to inspect on a residential well each year to catch problems early.
• How a Residential Well Works — Explains the path water takes from the aquifer through the well casing, pump, and into the home’s plumbing. See also: Well Water Testing and Reports.
• Reading a Well Water Lab Report — Explains how to interpret the numbers and abbreviations on a professional water testing lab report. See also: Well Water Testing and Reports.
• Surface Water Contamination Risks for Wells — Describes how runoff, flooding, and nearby land use can introduce contaminants into a well and how to reduce the risk.
• Types of Well Pumps — A comparison of submersible, jet, and other common well pump designs and where each is typically used.
• Well Cap and Casing Basics — Explains the role of the well casing and cap in keeping out surface water, debris, and contaminants.
• Well Water Levels During Drought — Explains how drought affects aquifers and what falling water levels mean for well owners.
• What a Check Valve Does — Describes how a check valve prevents water from flowing back down the well and keeps the system primed.
• What a Pressure Tank Does — Describes how a pressure tank stores pressurized water, reduces pump cycling, and maintains steady household water pressure.

Testing

• Alkalinity in Well Water — How alkalinity buffers pH, why it matters for corrosion and treatment, and how to read alkalinity on a lab report.
• Arsenic in Well Water — Why arsenic appears in some aquifers, how lab results are reported, and why arsenic has no taste or odor to warn you.
• Chain of Custody for Water Samples — What the paperwork means, why labs require it, and how to fill out a chain-of-custody form correctly.
• Coliform and E. Coli in Well Water — What total coliform and E. coli results indicate, why they are used as indicators, and what a positive result does and does not prove.
• Common Well Water Parameters — A lookup table of frequently reported parameters such as pH, hardness, total dissolved solids, turbidity, and common minerals.
• Corrosivity Index and Well Water — How labs combine pH, alkalinity, and hardness to estimate whether water is likely to corrode metal plumbing.
• Detection Limits and Reporting Units — How to interpret units such as mg/L, ug/L, and CFU, and what it means when a result is below the method detection limit.
• First Draw Versus Flushed Sample — A first-draw sample captures water sitting in pipes, while a flushed sample represents the aquifer; the difference matters for lead and copper testing.
• Hardness in Well Water — How calcium and magnesium create hardness, what the grains-per-gallon and milligrams-per-liter numbers mean, and why hardness is mostly aesthetic.
• Heavy Metals in Well Water — A table of metals that labs commonly test for, including lead, copper, manganese, and their typical sources in well systems.
• Iron and Manganese in Well Water — How iron and manganese cause staining, metallic taste, and colored water, and what lab results distinguish dissolved from particulate forms.
• Lead and Copper in Well Water — Why lead and copper usually come from plumbing rather than the aquifer, and how first-draw and flushed samples reveal the difference.
• Nitrate and Nitrite in Well Water — How nitrogen compounds enter groundwater, what the lab numbers mean, and why nitrate is a concern for infants and a signal of surface influence.
• Sulfate and Sulfur Bacteria in Well Water — How sulfate minerals and sulfur-reducing bacteria both create rotten-egg odor, and how lab results help tell them apart.
• Total Dissolved Solids in Well Water — What TDS measures, why a high TDS reading is not automatically dangerous, and how it relates to taste, staining, and treatment choices.
• Turbidity in Well Water — What turbidity means, how labs measure cloudiness, and why high turbidity can hide bacteria and interfere with disinfection.
• Understanding pH in Well Water — What pH means, why low pH can corrode plumbing and high pH can cause scale, and how pH interacts with other water quality measures.
• Volatile Organic Compounds in Well Water — What VOCs are, how solvents and fuels can reach a well, and why labs use a specific test method for these chemicals.
• Well Water Contaminant Symptom Table — A table connecting visible, taste, and odor symptoms in well water to the contaminants or conditions that commonly cause them.
• Well Water Parameter by Appearance — A table linking appearance issues such as cloudiness, color, floating particles, or staining to the likely well water causes.
• Well Water Parameters by Source Risk — A table linking common contamination sources such as agriculture, industry, septic systems, and geology to the parameters most worth testing.
• Well Water Sampling Container Guide — A guide to which sample containers, preservatives, and handling requirements apply to different well water tests.
• Well Water Standard Limits Table — A table of common regulatory and advisory limits for well water parameters, with notes on when values become a practical concern.
• Well Water Testing Frequency Checklist — A checklist of which well water tests to run annually, seasonally, after repairs, and after suspected contamination events.
• What a Well Water Lab Report Shows — The sections of a lab report, including analyte names, results, units, detection limits, and how to tell what was actually measured.

Chlorination

• Chlorine Contact Time for Wells — Why contact time matters during shock chlorination and how long chlorine needs to remain in the well and plumbing before flushing.
• Common Shock Chlorination Mistakes — Frequent errors in shock chlorination, such as skipping the pressure tank, flushing too soon, or not retesting, and how to avoid them.
• How Shock Chlorination Works — The chemistry and mechanics behind shock chlorination, including how chlorine contacts well surfaces, kills bacteria, and why the whole water column must be treated.
• Shock Chlorination Frequently Asked Questions — A collection of common questions about shock chlorinating a private well, with short answers that point to the detailed guides.
• Shock Chlorination Tools and Supplies — A checklist of basic tools and supplies needed for shock chlorinating a well, without brand names or product amounts.
• Where to Discharge Chlorinated Well Water — Safe places to discharge chlorinated water during flushing and places to avoid, including septic systems, gardens, and surface water.

Rain catchment

• First-Flush Diverters Explained — How a first-flush diverter keeps the dirtiest roof runoff out of the tank and why it matters for non-potable water quality.
• Rain Catchment Regulations and Permits — A guide to common local rules, permits, and restrictions that affect rain collection systems for non-potable use.
• Rain Catchment System Components — The basic parts of a rain collection system: catchment surface, gutters, downspouts, first-flush diverter, screen, tank, and outlet.
• Using Rainwater for Livestock — What to consider before using collected rain for livestock drinking water, including water quality risks and tank maintenance.

Outages

• Outage Failure Checklist — A list of well and storage components that commonly fail during or after a power outage, with symptoms and first checks.
• Why Well Pumps Stop in a Power Outage — Explains that most residential well pumps run on grid electricity and stop immediately when power is lost, cutting off all water flow.

Troubleshooting

• Tannins in Well Water — Explains how decaying organic matter can tint well water yellow or brown, and how tannins differ from iron or sediment discoloration.