Little monsters aren’t Trick-or-Treating – they’re microbes you may find in your Spring Grove well water

These little monsters are kind of cute but you wouldn't like
the microscopic monsters you might find in your Spring
Grove well water.

It’s almost Halloween and check out these little monsters. The monsters? No, these aren’t the adorable little monsters you’re accustomed to Trick-or-Treating at your Spring Grove door. One looks like a hairy jelly bean – no eyes, ears or mouth but it does have tendrils dangling from its bottom. Some look like short gummy worms. Some look like ameba and others like funky squid. What they all have in common is that they’re really, really small – microscopic, in fact, and, Oh, you’re liable to find these little monsters in your well water.

Actually, you won’t find them unless you take the time to look. And, keep in mind, these microbes are so small that there’s no way you can look at your water and see them. Don’t bother filling a glass and holding it up to the light; you still won’t see them. These are bacteria and other types of microorganisms that you may be drinking when you drink your well water.

The short gummy worms are Coliform Bacteria, or they could be Fecal Coliform Bacteria. The prior is naturally present in the environment and, by themselves, are not dangerous. But, many of the others, including Fecal Coliform Bacteria, are distinctly not good to consume. The level of Coliform Bacteria, that good bacteria, can help to indicate the presence of other microorganisms you’d rather not find in your Spring Grove well water.

It’s not hard to figure out where the Fecal Coliform Bacteria come from. The answer is in their name and there’s nothing pleasant about that, including the results if you drink water with Fecal Coliform Bacteria in it, as is the case with the hairy jelly beans (E. Coli Bacteria). Digestive problems are all but assured. In the worst cases, drinking water laced with Fecal Coliform Bacteria or E. Coli Bacteria can be fatal.

The ameba- and funky-squid-like microbes are protozoa, a pathogenic organism that can cause typhoid, dysentery, cholera and other types of gastroenteritis. Other pathogenic organisms that you may find in well water are viruses.

Viruses, viewed at a microscopic level, can look like spiders, spores, balls of broccoli and others like ribbed gummy worms. Some are like long worms and some look like castanets. Whatever they look like, they’re very bad in your stomach. These little buggers are trouble in your stomach.

All this talk about monster microbes is frightening. But, you don’t have to worry, just as long as you’ve had your Spring Grove well water tested and chlorinated. Do that, and you’ll keep the monsters away – at least you’ll keep the bad, little monsters away. The only little monsters you’ll have to worry about are those coming to your door for candy.

Why does my Wonder Lake well water smell?

If your Wonder Lake well water smells bad, the well may need
some maintenance.

All this warm weather makes it nice to be outdoors. You can take a walk through your Wonder Lake neighborhood, place some hoops, place with the kids. Whatever you do, you’re liable to want a nice cool drink of water. Is this the part where you get a bottle of water out of the fridge because, well, the water from the faucet, that comes from the well outside, just smells a bit funny.

That bottled water isn’t too expensive, is it? Of course, you have to load it into a shopping cart and bring it home, store it and refrigerate it. Wouldn’t it be easier just to get your water from the well outside – let the well pump carry the water in from your Wonder Lake well?

You may have assumed that the smell of your water is a universal problem here in Wonder Lake. If you have made that assumption, you’re mistaken. Most homes in Wonder Lake have well water that really has no odor. If the water does smell, the problem is, most likely, with the individual well.

When your well water smells, it usually smells like rotten eggs. This is caused by hydrogen sulfide in the water. The water may smell like oil or asphalt. This may be caused by magnesium from the magnesium rod in an old water heater that is used to retard corrosion. But that isn’t as common.

If your well water smells, you should have your water tested. Even if your water doesn’t smell, you should have it tested each year. You should also have your well chlorinated annually. For that matter, your annual well maintenance should include checking the pressure in your well tank, checking the connections on your electronics and otherwise looking you well system over. This is a great way to ensure that, even if your water doesn’t smell, you’ll have water on demand from your well all year long.

Though hydrogen sulfide isn’t usually a health risk. It’s unpleasant and can also include a discoloration of the water. But, if the well water does smell, it could indicate other problems, as well, and some of these could be more serious.

For instance, you could have bacteria in your water that is unhealthy. In this way, water that smells could work as a convenient warning system that something else may be wrong with your water. The problem is that, even if the water from your Wonder Lake well doesn’t smell, you could have bacteria or other problems with your water. Either way, chlorinating and testing your well, as part of an annual well-maintenance procedure, is a great idea.