I agree with the fellow who suggested adding a cap of bleach to a
gallon of water and waiting to see if the yellow disappears and a
precipitate forms. This would suggest to me that chlorination and
filtration could work for you.
I have seen a simple chlorine-pellet feeder and filtration system on a
local well. The owner says it works well. Let me know if you want
more details as to the make and installation.

A couple of other suggestions:

If you haven't already done so, call the local health unit and speak
with a public health inspector (aka environmental health officer) who
has local experience. He/she may be familiar with wells with similar
problems in your area. Len Clarkson or Bob Weston both work the
Coast-Garibaldi area and have years of experience (I am a PHI in the
Kootenays, but soil and water conditions are different here).

Second suggestion:

Clean the sucker! I have found some local conditions where shallow
wells that once produced clear, good-tasting water became foul over
the years. Just dumping a jug of bleach in the well and pumping it
out won't solve the problem. One has to physically enter the well and
scrub the concrete casing with bleach. Believe me, I've done it! In
the case of your well, it would be pretty claustrophobic. Also, be
really careful with air supply. I have entered and cleaned wells (not
as part of my public job, but for friends). I rented a "diaphragm
pump" or a "semi-trash pump" and sucked the well out as I went down.
At the bottom of the wells (ok, I've done exactly 2), was a buildup of
a foot or two or organic sludge. Quite gross. I was standing on soft
muck, which I scooped into a bucket and a helper pulled out with a
rope. I finally got all the guck out and was down to clean sand and
gravel. Then use a strong bleach solution to clean the casing from
top to bottom, pumping all the time so you don't drown... By the way,
there is a clean ladder involved, of course. You will probably find
that the walls are covered with organic slime, but when you are
finished, you will be down to clean, bare concrete. Both wells I did
this on had an immediate return to clean water. I can't guarantee
this will work for you, but a good well cleaning can only help. By
the way, I repeat, be careful about entering this confined space.
Because your well is not wide open at the top, you probably should
also rent an air pump to supply fresh air into the well as you work.
(I have cleaned a 3000-gallon water reservoir this way).
I don't know how big or agile you are, but someone will need to fit
through that 2x3 hole you describe! You need a small, wiry,
dedicated, safety-onsciousl person.
Contact me at if you want to discuss.
Phil J.

"Gary Slusser" wrote in message ...
"Peter Martin" wrote


"Phil J" wrote
Where are you (6 hours from Vancouver)?

The town is called Powell River, located on the coast due north of
Vancouver.

Where is your shallow well
situated in terms of vegetation, runoff, etc? What is the casing
made
of? (if it's galvanized culvert, that may be the cause of the
problem, or at least may contribute to it)?

The well is located in the middle of a fairly large driveway which is
paved
with asphalt. On the "upslope" side of the driveway there is a 40
foot
lawn with fruit trees, then a hedge, then a paved rural road. On the
other
side of that there is another house with another lawn. Further up
from that
there is bush.

The casing is made of circular concrete rings, one on top of the
other.
Each ring is 4 feet in diameter and 2 feet high. There is a concrete
floor
at the top of the well, on which is mounted the pressure tank and the
electrical controls for the pump. There is a small square hole in
the
concrete floor, about 3 feet by 2 feet, covered with a stainless steel
plate
to provide access to the well itself. There are also concrete rings
above
this concrete floor. These rings form the circular wall of a small
room.
The "ceiling" of the room is made of concrete, with a stainless steel
plate
providing access from above.

As an aside, I've never seen nor taken samples from the bottom of the
well
and, although there is no direct evidence one way or the other, it's
possible there could be vegetation matter at the bottom of the well.
It
would be necessary to find and hire a contractor with specialized
equipment
to check the bottom of the well because of the small size of the
access
hole. This has not been done yet because, I have always assumed that
the
tannins came from decaying grass clippings from the lawns, and from
dead
leaves etc in the bush, and not from anything in the well itself.

Total coliforms in shallow wells are a common phenomenom, not
necessarily a health risk, but indicative of surface material and
runoff getting into the well.

When we moved in, we noticed several small holes one inch in diameter
in the
side of the well, in the concrete rings, level with the asphalt. (The
concrete rings protrude above the level of the asphalt driveway.)
Some of
the run-off from the rain was running down the asphalt driveway and
getting
into the well through these holes. It had probably been that way for
years. We plugged the holes about 3 months ago.

I haven't personally seen yellow water from high iron in water, so
am
wondering if it's something else. Is the water yellow in the well,
or
only after being exposed to air?

The water is yellow as soon as it comes out of the tap and stays that
way.
It does not change colour. There doesn't seem to be any iron
precipitating from the water.

I work as a public health inspector with many years experience in BC
and have had a lot of involvement with private water systems.
You are welcome to contact me for (free) advice if you like at
.

Thank you. I would very much appreciate any advice you could offer.
I
will probably send you an email in the near future, after more of this
continuing "saga" of water problems unfolds.

So Peter, I don't know where Phil is but we shouldn't wait any longer
for him because he may never return! lol

IMO you need a hydrocarbons scan and total iron test. This sounds like
colloidal iron to me although it could be tannin or lignin. Try this,
get a screw cap gallon jug filling it with cold water and a cap full of
non-scented regular 5.25% or 6 % concentrate household bleach until it
overflows (no air) and shake it good, then sit it aside and watch it
over a few hours for any change in the color, clarity or sediment to
form on the bottom. Then let me know what happened if anything.

What type of pressure tank do you have?

Have you drained and flushed it lately?

Has this color been there since you first arrived and how long have you
been there?

Gary
Quality Water Associates