Well Water Facts

Each well is unique. See our Well Water section to see how our approach to well water is different than most other water companies.

This section will give you the "straight talk" on many of the most common well water problems.

Iron (Rust) & Manganese (black and sticky)

Symptoms:  Reddish or black stains on fixtures, clothes and showerwalls. May have a musty taste/smell because when you have iron in the water you run a higher risk of organic matter in the water.

Causes:  Iron and/or manganese is common in our area because the underground rock and gravel formations contain large amounts of these elements.  In fact, manganese is one of the most abundant metals in the earth's crust and usually occurs in conjunction with iron.

Health Concerns:  Iron is not necessarily unhealthy. Most of us are deficient in iron. Our body may not digest and absorb the iron that comes from the ground because our bodies are designed to digest and absorb minerals in a "food form". 

Action Level: Any level over 0.3 mg/l (or ppm) of iron causes a reddish stain. And level over 0.05 mg/l of manganese causes a blackish stain.