Iron Bacteria
What You Need to Know
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What are iron bacteria?
Iron bacteria are commonly cited as the culprit for any “slime” problems found
in a well. Interestingly enough, though, only a very small percentage of the slime seen in
wells and pipelines is actually iron bacteria (also referred to as iron oxidizing bacteria
or by its proper name, Gallionella). Most of the slime formation found in wells is by
naturally occurring soil bacteria, not iron bacteria.
What are signs that my water may have iron bacteria?
A professional water well contractor can check your well for physical signs of
contamination, such as debris in the pipelines. Also, a laboratory can analyze the
chemistry of your water. The specific chemistry of your well water may help identify
problems and help determine treatment options. Here are features that might indicate
problems (listed in order of what is most likely to indicate a specific problem, to least
likely).
Your well might have incrustive (plugging) problems if:
- pH is greater than 7.0
- Calcium hardness is greater than 200 ppm
- Iron is greater than 1.0 ppm
- Manganese is greater than .02 ppm
- Sulfates are greater than 50 ppm
- Phosphates are greater than 1 ppm
Your well might have corrosive problems if:
- Total dissolved solids (TDS) are greater than 600 ppm
- Stray DC current on an electrical line*
- Stray DC current in the ground*
- pH is less than 7.0
- Dissolved oxygen is greater than 2 ppm
- Carbon dioxide is greater than 50 ppm
- Chlorides are greater than 500 ppm
*Can be measured by a local electric company that truly understands DC current or a
pipeline company that understands corrosion potentials. One volt of DC current can
dissolve up to 20 pounds of steel in a year.
What problems do iron bacteria cause?
The slime generated by iron bacteria isn’t a health hazard, but it can do damage in
other ways. Along with the unpleasant odor, it can corrode pipes and plumbing equipment,
and clog pipes, screens, and other components of the well system. The slime can also
hamper the effectiveness of the well system’s water treatment components. It can
overwhelm carbon filters, defeat bactericidal resins, and attack or plug reverse osmosis
membranes and cartridge filters. In certain conditions, the bacteria can grow quickly and
leave the entire well system virtually useless in just a few months.
How can iron bacteria be avoided?
Iron bacteria can be a major nuisance, so the best protection is prevention. This means
making sure that everything related to your home water system is disinfected. When having
your well system installed, tested, or repaired, always use a professional contractor.
During installation of the well, check that the pipe, pump, tools, and water used are
disinfected.
What can be done to treat iron bacteria in water?
In order to remove iron bacteria from water, the chemical treatment must have the
capability of penetrating the slime, removing the live bacteria, dissolving the decaying
debris totally so the nutrient is gone, and removing everything from the well. That not
only requires the proper chemistry but good development techniques, a monitoring process
on the site to determine when the well is clean, and good removal pumping from the bottom
of the well, once the project is complete. All well components (e.g., pump, cable, etc.)
should be thoroughly cleaned before placing back in the well. If a pipeline is more than
20 percent plugged, it should be cleaned. If pipelines are less than 20 percent plugged
and if the well is cleaned properly, the counts of bacteria will be as in a normal
aquifer, and eventually the pipeline will clean itself.
What is fungus?
Fungus is very slimy but much more of a stable mass than slime bacteria. It is often
multicolored with red, black, white, and gray throughout the mass. It often smells like a
sewer and the odor is quite offensive. This debris does not break down in acidic
solutions.
Where can I get more information?
For more information on your private water well, contact Steve Foster:
Foster Well Drilling
7021 Eastside Road
Anderson, CA 96007
Tel: (530) 241-1605
Fax: (530) 365-5094
E-Mail info@fosterwelldrilling.com
Also, visit the Web site of the National Ground Water Association, www.ngwa.org, and its site just for well owners, www.wellowner.org
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