Diseases Associated with Slime Bacteria

• Slime bacteria consist of many different microorganisms that produce slime. These bacteria inhabit moist soil, decaying plant matter and human/animal waste. When these bacteria invade a private water well system they can cause serious diseases such as: hepatitis A and gastrointestinal illnesses such as giardia, shigella, E. coli, campylobacter and salmonella, along with other pathogens and chemicals.
  
  

Slime Bacteria and Well Water

• Older wells and those in poor condition are at an increased risk for contamination of slime bacteria and therefore must be monitored more frequently. The age of a well is not the only reason for testing, however. Even a regularly maintained well should be inspected on a regular basis and whenever flood waters have invaded the system or a nearby septic tank has malfunctioned.
  
  

Signs of Water Contamination

• Along with regular maintenance and inspection, you should have your well water analyzed any time you or your visitors develop signs of stomach or intestinal distress. Symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, bloating, flatulence, abdominal cramps or weight loss. These illnesses can lead to serious health problems, making diligent water analysis a must.
  
  

Protecting Well Water

• Measures you can take to keep your water supply safe involve hiring a licensed well contractor when constructing a new well or modifying an existing well. This will ensure your water well's structure is fit to hold and keep water clean.
  
  Also keep precise records of water analysis and maintenance on your well, along with avoiding the mixing and use of pesticides, fertilizers, weed killers, fuels de-greasers, and other pollutants near the well or disposing of them in septic systems. A safe water supply is also dependent on properly maintaining nearby septic systems.
  
  

Well Water Sanitation

• Chlorine treatment is the standard method for cleaning well water. It's efficient to kill bacteria such as slime bacteria but has its drawbacks. Handling concentrated chlorine requires a degree of knowledge and skill that can affect both your personal safety and the taste of the water.
  
  Once water is contaminated, a safe and quick way to acquire safe drinking water is to vigorously boil it for two minutes. This method kills most germs and keeps the water safe provided it is not re-contaminated.
  
  Ultraviolet radiation is another method used to kill bacteria, but it has more difficulty killing viruses. Ultraviolet radiation, however, does not kill cysts and worms.
  
  Ozonation is a more powerful disinfectant than chlorine but cannot be purchased. Instead it must be generated on site and can be rather complicated and difficult to maintain. By-products of ozonation are not yet fully understood.
  
  

Important Notes

• It is important to keep all water supplies sealed and protected from sources of bacterial contamination for any disinfection method to function properly. Inspection of the private water sources should be performed every one to two years and as needed when above listed health issues arise.