Periodically check the well cover or well cap on top of the casing (well) to ensure it is in good repair and securely attached. Your well cap seal should keep out insects and rodents. Make sure that it is sealed tightly, and look for cracks and evidence of damage. If your well cap has a lock, check to see if the lock has been tampered with. If your well in accidentally jolted, ruptured, or moved in any way, call us immediately and discontinue drinking.

A properly sealed well cap protects against all types of contamination. It is the first line of protection against surface water pollution that constitutes the majority of ground water contamination. Surface water pollution includes runoff of pesticides and herbicides, soil erosion, and elements from the street that enter through your well cap.

Well caps keep out insects such as earwigs, which prefer a dark, damp environment to nest. Insects and small animals can cause major problems in a well. Bacteria levels can rise from their droppings, and sometimes themselves can get trapped in the wells, die, and decompose in the well water.

Surface water can encounter many types of pollutants and transport them. These are not always easily detected by taste or smell. A properly sealed well cap is a safeguard in preventing those contaminants from penetrating the household water supply.

Having your well tested is the surest way to determine that the water is safe. Even if your well cap fits tightly on your well and your water tastes fine, the water well system should be given a checkup every year.

Practice safe water habits. Do not landscape around the well cap. If you landscape your yard, make sure there is not a low area near the well where rain water could collect. Rain water can carry pollutants that can seep into a well. And when working with oil and gasoline, or mixing herbicides or pesticides, do so over concrete so spills can’t seep into the ground.