How to fix dirty Well Water

Q: My well pumps out water that’s initially clear in color. However, after 2 hours sitting in a clean, white plastic bucket it develops a light yellow tint. No obvious contaminants got into the bucket of water.

A: If your water supply source is from a well, you may notice occasional yellow color in the water. While its not uncommon for well water to turn yellow, there are some instances where it might be indicative of a more serious problem.

Here’s a tabular view of the common causes & solution:

Yellow Well Water Cause Sign + Solution

Ferric Iron Contamination Yellow water color, Metallic taste Get an iron filter system (Best solution: Springwell Iron Filter)

Old, rusty pipes Yellow water from a particular faucet, Visible rusty pipes. Replace Pipes

Organic Material in Wells Debris in water at bottom of cup, Unpleasant taste Get a sediment filter or Tannins removal system with water softener (e.g Springwell Tannins System)

Iron Bacteria Contamination Yellow brown or red coloration, Thick & slimy water Shock well or use chemical injection system (Our recommendation: Springwell Injection System)

Additional advice

The water in the aquifer comes from a lower temperature and less oxygenated environment than your bucket. Groundwater contains some dissolved iron in one form or another but as some oxygen dissolves in the water of your bucket, any bivalent iron has a tendency to convert to trivalent iron.

The process can change the colour of the water from colourless to slightly yellow. Most available filters will deal with it and after 3 months take a look at the filters and you should find a yellowish brown precipitate in there.

For complete peace of mind – get your well water analysed.