SAULT STE. MARIE — The Chippewa County Health Department is encouraging residents to have their drinking water tested as several homes in the area recently had their wells cleaned.
In May, a Sault resident living off M-129 in between 3 Mile and 5 Mile roads reported their water was smelling foul and were worried if it was safe. Over the next few weeks, several of their neighbors also noticed the same issue in their groundwater wells and called the Chippewa County Health Department (CCHD) for help.
Several of the homes collected samples of their drinking water and discovered bacterial contamination in their wells. With help from the health department, they had their wells retested and cleaned. Since multiple wells in the area were suspected of contamination at the same time, the health department called in help from the state.
“We were concerned after having multiple positives, so we reached out to the state,” said CCHD Environmental Health Supervisor Suzanne Lieurance.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) came to Chippewa County and helped complete tests of well water between 3 Mile and 5 Mile roads. In total, 21 of the 43 homes in the area agreed to have their wells tested, with five more collecting their own samples. Seventeen of them had clean water and working well caps.
“Most of these houses and wells were built in the 70s or 80s, and sometimes people forget that wells are there or not knowing if their wells are properly abandoned because homes change hands,” said CCHD Health Officer Karen Senkus. “So the state also checked for wells that might not have been known and collected samples from 21 wells in the area.”
At least two of the homes in that area tested positive for E. coli and several more will require retesting after testing positive for other bacteria.
The health department wants to encourage people living in the affected area and across Chippewa County to regularly test their wells with sample collection kits that can be found at the health department for a cost of $25. If a well tests positive for bacteria, it does not mean it is contaminated, but instead means it requires further testing for E. coli and other more dangerous bacteria.
“A majority of the samples we have tested that come back as positive aren’t necessarily unsafe, the test is very sensitive so we recommend a retest,” said Senkus.
While MDHHS has not released the results of their testing yet, the CCHD does not believe that the recent discoveries of contamination are related. The contamination is likely the result of lack of maintenance performed on well caps.
There have been no reported illnesses related to contaminated water.
According to the health department, groundwater wells require regular maintenance and testing that many well owners don’t keep up with on a regular basis.
Wells in the area in and around Sault Ste. Marie usually have a clay deposit, which is good at keeping contaminants from leaking into the groundwater, and a metal siding surrounding it. This means that the most common way a well is contaminated is from bugs or other bacteria carriers coming through well caps.
When a well cap is old or damaged, it is more likely to let in contaminants, meaning that proper maintenance is required on a regular basis.
Some residents in the area have not had their wells tested or have not followed up on previous testing that showed contaminants. The CCHD encourages anyone who has had a positive test for bacteria in their wells to have a second test done to confirm the results.
After that, if it tests positive for bacteria again, the wells should be cleaned by a professional well driller to ensure it is done safely. Officials said some people may attempt to clean their own wells, but if done incorrectly it can lead to further issues with water safety.
“You should really only have a well driller chlorinate your well because they know what they’re doing,” said Lieurance. “In the past, homeowners have tried just dumping bleach down there but the problem is concentration. If you use too much it could change the chemical composition of the bleach. Some people also use pool bleach with additives, which can gum up the well.”
If the interior of a well is too damaged then it has to be properly abandoned. The process involves filling the well with cement to prevent the contaminants from leaking deeper into the groundwater.
Repairing, decontaminating and abandoning wells should all be done by professional well drillers for safety and health reasons.
“This whole issue is a reminder that people need education on how to care for their wells,” said Senkus. “If you are living on a property that has a well, you should be inspecting it a couple of times a year, even if just to look for damage to your well cap.”
Well owners should be on the lookout for water that gives off a strange taste or odor, is cloudy or dirty, or loses water pressure. The state website egle.state.mi.us/wellogic can be used to find information about wells. More information about maintenance can be found on the health department’s website.
— Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Chippewa County Health Department urges residents to test their well water
Reporting by Brendan Wiesner, Sault Ste. Marie News / The Sault News
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