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Yes, and you should have the water tested before you buy a property that has a well. Any certified lab will test for these contaminants, as well as bacteria. Do a Web search for your state’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) or its equivalent. The DEQ Web site should list some approved/ certified commercial laboratories that do water testing. In some states, spring- and well-water testing is also handled by state universities. The good news is that you will have to do this only once, unless you hear about some drastic change in local water conditions.

Do I need to chlorinate my well or springwater?

In most cases, no. It is possible that your well might get contaminated by a flood, or seasonally contaminated with coliform bacteria from rainwater runoff. The best solution is to use a UV sterilizer year-round so that you don’t have to worry about it. Alternatively, if you know that there has been a contamination, you could add a calculated quantity of plain hypochlorite liquid bleach solution down your well shaft, but if there is continual bacterial contamination of your well or spring, then, again, the best solution is to use a UV sterilizer year-round.

Treating Water

Water from open sources must always be treated before use. Typical chlorine concentrations will kill bacteria but not all viruses, so I recommend a three-step approach to treating water from open sources (however, keep in mind no filter system is 100 percent effective at removing herbicides and pesticides. For that, you would need either a distillation or a reverse-osmosis system, which are far more complex and have large power requirements):

Pre-filtering. This removes particulate matter. Pouring water though a couple of thicknesses of T-shirts or tightly woven bath towels works fine. The water that comes through will still look like tea, but at least you will have removed the crud and larger particles. By pre-filtering, you will also extend the life of your water filter, because you’ll avoid clogging the microscopic pores in the filter media.

Chlorinating. This can be accomplished following the chlorine-concentration guidelines discussed on page 72.

Filtering. I recommend the large Katadyn or British Berkefeld filters. Some filter elements available for Katadyn and British Berkefeld filters can even remove chlorine. Complete filter systems and spare filter elements are available from Ready MadeResources.com, SafecastleRoyal.com, and other Internet vendors.

Ultraviolet Treatment

Ultraviolet (UV) treatment is an interesting innovation that was first embraced by fish farmers and koi-pond enthusiasts. The UV technology is quite promising for anyone with a shallow well or spring that has an unacceptable bacteria count, which typically happens during a flood or seasonally with heavy rains that increase surface water that can get into a well or spring. The UV method of treatment is growing in popularity in the United States and Canada, because there is no need for chemicals. Ultraviolet light rays—just like those from the sun that produce sunburn, only stronger—alter the DNA of bacteria, viruses, molds, and parasites so that they cannot reproduce. They are not killed, but are merely rendered sterile. Thus, they safely pass through your digestive tract, but are unable to reproduce—which is otherwise the cause of intestinal illness.

The compact UV sterilizer that I recommend for field use is sold under the brand name SteriPEN. For year-round use at home, I recommend the Crystal Quest Ultraviolet Water Sterilizer. Note that these are normally powered with an AC power cube. If and when you set up an alternate home-power system with a battery bank, the power cube can be removed, and the UV wand can be powered directly with DC power.

Compact Water Filters

I am often asked about compact water filters for backpacking, hunting trips, and Get Out of Dodge/Bugout situations. For this, Katadyn makes an excellent compact water filter/pump called a Pocket filter. The volume of water that the Pocket can process is