There are many older wells in use throughout the country — some may be over 100 years old. What we know today about drinking water quality, how people have affected groundwater quality because of chemical use, and general safety around a well has significantly affected how we view well construction. In particular, if your well is in a pit or is a hand-dug, large-diameter well, there are some considerations you should be aware of.

First, we encourage you to look at the construction standards for wells in your state or territory. Some things that were the norm (even as recently as 30 years ago) are now considered dangerous, unsafe, or a threat to groundwater. There are many older systems out there that have not been brought up to current standards. When new codes were enacted, existing wells were generally grandfathered in. They may still work fine, but they may increase your risk of contamination or pose a threat to your own personal safety. We have learned the hard way that we aren't isolated on our own property, but we are a part of a much larger community that may share and rely on a single water source. Because of that, what one person does can affect others. Many of the rules put in place today are to prevent the actions of one person, whether through accident or ignorance, from affecting others who are using the same aquifer.

Well pits are a good example of old construction that is no longer acceptable in most states. Well pits were originally created to allow for the piping from the well to be elbowed horizontally from the top of the well into the house below the frost line. This was to prevent pipes from freezing in the winter. For some of you in warmer areas like Arizona, this isn't an issue, but in many parts of the country, freezing weather is our reality. Well pits are dangerous. They can be improperly sealed at the top, which makes them a risk for people, livestock, and even moving equipment that might run over them. They can get flooded, which could compromise the water quality of your well water if your well head is improperly sealed. Because of this, a well in a pit should have the casing extended to above the surface using a pitless adapter or a unit. The extension should be fitted with an approved well cap and the well pit should be filled in and graded such that water will flow away from the well.

There are minimum heights in most construction codes for the well stick up you should follow. You should contact the well regulating agency in your state or territory to ask if you need a permit or to provide any paperwork regarding the improvements you make to your well. Your local well driller can professionally modify your well and ensure it meets current standards. Once completed, your well should be disinfected and then sampled for coliform bacteria to be sure your well is safe to use again. Getting rid of your well pit is worth the trouble and effort because it will eliminate a likely source of future contamination of your well.

Hand-dug, large-diameter wells are typically very old and get most of their water from near-surface infiltration. A hand-dug well just isn't safe in most cases. Many still exist and are in use, but their design poses a risk for both surface contamination and safety, if not properly protected and covered at the surface.

Pictured above is a hand-dug well still in use today. There is no way to keep insects, rodents, or other things from getting in the well. The slope of the land surface will take water from the corn field toward the well. This is not a safe situation for protecting the quality of water being taken from the well. There are a couple of options to consider if you have a hand-dug well. One is to drill a well through the bottom of the dug well into an aquifer, if available. And then seal the annulus according to proper code using bentonite to fill the dug well in around the new drilled well casing. If the existing well produces a good supply of water from a sufficient depth, another option might be to install a bored well casing inside the dug well, finishing the well according to current construction standards for board wells.

You will need to find out the legal responsibilities for doing this. But your well driller should be able to help you as well.

The Private Well Class is a collaboration between the Rural Community Assistance Partnership and the University of Illinois through the Illinois State Water Survey and the Illinois Water Resource Center, and funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The views expressed here are solely from the class authors and not endorsed or reviewed by US EPA for more information on private wells, sign up for our free 10-week email course at www.privatewellclass.org.