Having well water has its advantages but, unfortunately, things can happen to that water resulting in a reddish brown color and a bad taste. There are several dirty well water causes, including a submersible pump that is going bad. Regardless of the cause discoloration of your water, is it a sign of a problem that you will need to deal with.
Iron and manganese in your drinking water.
One of the most common dirty well water causes is the presence of manganese and iron in the water. One source of these metals is seeping in from the rock around the well. If you have iron pipes entering your home, they can be a source of these metals if they are rusting. Regardless of the cause, if there is enough iron oxide in your water to turn it brown then you have a problem that you need to fix.
Fecal contamination in your water.
While coliform bacteria usually do not directly cause illness, their presence can indicate the presence of other harmful types of bacteria. They can also show fecal contamination of your water. A sufficient level of fecal contamination would cause a color change in the water. This is not healthy, and it may also indicate a septic leak. This can be the case regardless of whether you have a septic tank or a hook up to a city septic system.
Broken pipes in your water system.
Broken pipes can affect your water quality by causing dirt and other contaminants to enter the water. Sufficient levels of dirt will easily turn your water a brownish color. It not only looks bad, but that dirt will also contain lots of bacteria many of which are dangerous. Such a problem will require replacing the pipes, or switching over to city water if that option is available.
The water levels of your wells.
Dirty water may be an indication that the water level is getting low. At the bottom of a well, the water starts interacting with dirt or any other material that settles to the bottom. There is no problem as long as the water level is high because this material has settled out. However, when the water level gets low there is no place for it to settle and the pump starts picking up this material from the bottom of the well causing the water to turn brown. What we have here is literally a case of dirty well water.
Solutions to discolored and dirty well water.
Before deciding on any water treatment solution, you need water testing to determine the cause. Until you can determine and fix the problem there are filtration systems such as water softeners. The best type of filtration system for long-term use would be a water filter for the entire house. If such a filter is too expensive or only needed for short-term use, then a pitcher filter will do. In the long run finding in fixing the source your dirty water problem is the only real solution.
Dirty water can be a real problem for those with well water. You cannot just continue to drink contaminated water, you need to take action. The quickest solution is to get some form of filtration. However, this is at best a stopgap measure, you need to fix the problem causing it.