{"id":1197,"date":"2019-08-01T01:46:26","date_gmt":"2019-08-01T01:46:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/seasonal-variation-of-water-quality-in-unregulated-domestic-wells\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T22:49:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T05:49:38","slug":"seasonal-variation-of-water-quality-in-unregulated-domestic-wells","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/seasonal-variation-of-water-quality-in-unregulated-domestic-wells\/","title":{"rendered":"Seasonal Variation of Water Quality in Unregulated Domestic Wells"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"answer-box\" style=\"background:#f0f7ff;border-left:4px solid #0066cc;padding:16px 20px;margin:0 0 24px;border-radius:4px\">\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/enrichment-of-free-living-amoebae-in-biofilms-developed-at-upper-water-levels-in-drinking-water-storage-towers-an-inter-and-intra-seasonal-study\/\">Seasonal<\/a> Well Water Quality Variation<\/strong> is a big deal in today&#8217;s water treatment world. Here at AMPAC USA, we build top-tier systems that make sure homes, businesses, and industries get safe, clean water. Our systems are made to pull out as many contaminants as possible and keep working reliably for a long time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"art-authors hypothesis_container\"><span class=\"Yoshira Ornelas Van Horne<sup> 1,*<\/sup>,<\/span><span class=\"Jennifer Parks<sup>\u00a02<\/sup><i class=\"fa fa-envelope-o\"><\/i>,<\/span><span class=\"Thien Tran<sup>\u00a03<\/sup><i class=\"fa fa-envelope-o\"><\/i>,<\/span><span class=\"Leif Abrell<sup> 3,4<\/sup>,<\/span><span class=\"Kelly A. Reynolds<sup> 1<\/sup>\u00a0and <\/span><span class=\"Paloma I. Beamer<sup>\u00a01<\/sup><i class=\"fa fa-envelope-o\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"nrm\"><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"hypothesis_container\">\n<div class=\"art-affiliations\">\n<div class=\"affiliation\">\n<div class=\"affiliation-item\"><sup>1<\/sup><\/div>\n<div class=\"affiliation-name Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, 1295 N. Martin Ave., Tucson, AZ 85724, USA<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"affiliation\">\n<div class=\"affiliation-item\"><sup>2<\/sup><\/div>\n<div class=\"affiliation-name Friends of the Santa Cruz River, P.O. Box 4275, Tubac, AZ 85646, USA<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"affiliation\">\n<div class=\"affiliation-item\"><sup>3<\/sup><\/div>\n<div class=\"affiliation-name Department of Soil, Water &amp; Environmental Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0038, USA<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"affiliation\">\n<div class=\"affiliation-item\"><sup>4<\/sup><\/div>\n<div class=\"affiliation-name Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0041, USA<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"affiliation\">\n<div class=\"affiliation-item\"><sup>*<\/sup><\/div>\n<div class=\"affiliation-name Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bib-identity\"><em>Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health<\/em>\u00a0<b>2019<\/b>,\u00a0<em>16<\/em>(9), 1569;\u00a0https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ijerph16091569<\/div>\n<div class=\"Received: 12 April 2019 \/ Revised: 30 April 2019 \/ Accepted: 1 May 2019 \/ Published: 5 May 2019<\/div>\n<div class=\"belongsTo\">(This article belongs to the Special Issue\u00a0Drinking Water and Health Risks)<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<h1>no-margin-top Abstract<\/h1>\n<p>In the U.S., up to 14% of people rely on private wells for their drinking water. The thing is, the U.S. government doesn&#8217;t regulate contaminants in these private wells. This study wanted to check the water quality of unregulated private wells within one mile (1.6 kilometers) of an effluent-dominated river in the arid Southwest. We also wanted to see how contaminant levels changed between wet and dry seasons, and if human sources were contributing by specifically measuring man-made organic contaminants like PFOA, PFOS, and sucralose. We collected samples during two dry seasons and two wet seasons over two years. Then, we checked for microbial contaminants (<span class=\"Escherichia coli<\/span>), inorganic ones (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nitrate), and synthetic organic ones (PFOA, PFOS, and sucralose). We found arsenic, nitrate, and <span class=\"Escherichia coli<\/span> concentrations were higher than what&#8217;s considered safe: 0.01 mg\/L, 10 mg\/L, and 1 colony forming unit (CFU)\/100 mL, respectively. The PFOA and PFOS levels we measured were also higher than the Public Health Advisory level. Arsenic, PFOA, PFOS, and sucralose were significantly higher during the dry seasons, but <span class=\"E. coli<\/span> was higher during the wet seasons. Some contaminants were linked, like arsenic and mercury (r = 0.87) or PFOA and PFOS (r = 0.45). But since different types of contaminants didn&#8217;t always line up, it means they probably come from different places. We need a bunch of different approaches to help reduce exposure to drinking water that&#8217;s above health guidelines.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>The post Seasonal Variation of Water Quality in Unregulated Domestic Wells appeared first on Facts About Water.<\/p>\n<p>Source: Water Feed<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Why does well water quality vary seasonally?<\/strong><br \/>Well water quality fluctuates seasonally due to environmental factors. Dry seasons can lead to higher concentrations of contaminants like arsenic and PFAS as water tables drop, while wet seasons often introduce microbial pollutants such as E. coli through surface runoff and increased infiltration.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Are private drinking water wells regulated in the United States?<\/strong><br \/>No, the U.S. government does not regulate contaminants in private wells, which serve up to 14% of the population. Unlike public water systems, private well owners are responsible for monitoring and ensuring the safety of their drinking water.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Which contaminants are more prevalent in private wells during dry seasons?<\/strong><br \/>According to a study in the arid Southwest, arsenic, PFOA, PFOS, and sucralose concentrations were significantly higher during dry seasons. Reduced water levels can concentrate these pollutants, leading to increased health risks.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Which contaminants are more common in private wells during wet seasons?<\/strong><br \/>The study indicated that E. coli concentrations were higher during wet seasons. Increased rainfall can wash surface contaminants, including bacteria, into well systems, especially if wellheads are not properly sealed or maintained.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How can AMPAC USA help address seasonal well water contamination?<\/strong><br \/>AMPAC USA provides advanced reverse osmosis and water purification systems engineered for maximum contaminant removal, including seasonal threats like arsenic, nitrates, E. coli, PFOA, and PFOS. With over 30 years of field experience, our solutions ensure reliable, safe water despite seasonal quality variations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The goals of this study were to investigate the quality of drinking water from unregulated private wells<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":87982,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,29],"tags":[22],"class_list":["post-1197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-water-filter","category-water-treatment","tag-ro"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1197"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1197\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}