chloroform in the water well

[RikBallard]

My wife and I have recently found a ranchette (68.9 acres) that we are contemplating purchasing. The owner had the water well tested and it revealed elevated levels of chloroform. I am looking on the web, but haven’t really found much on it other than it can cause cancer.
The folks that did the test said it would require a water filtration system at about $6,000 and it would make the water ok.
Does anyone have any experience with this?? [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

[Hakim]

Hi Rik,

<The owner had the water well tested >

Who did the "testing"? If it was the party/company that suggested the $6,000 "filter," disregard the info.

If you are buying rural property, I suggest you locate a real certified water testing lab. They will do tests for more than 300 potential "contaminants, and reveal the condition of your water. If there is in fact chloroform present in your water, it would be important to know the source (farm, industrial, or ???).

There is a number calculated for many common contaminants, called the Lifetime Health Advisory Level, which supposedly gives an amount considered "safe" for consumtption over a lifetime. Many times such numbers protect industrial polluters, and are not truly reflective of "safe" levels. Most chemicals are not safe in any concentration.

In tests of rural wells in 1997 in Pennsylvania, chloroform was the second most commonly detected compound. Chloroform is a byproduct of using chlorine as a disinfectant. Chloroform also is present in septic-system effluent, and it has industrial uses. The highest chloroform concentration detected in a water sample was 61µg/L.

So, the chloroform may have been a transient presence, due perhaps to the previous owner or his agent "shocking" the well with chlorine prior to showing you the property (a very common procedure with rural wells).

I bought a rural property and did such tests for about 300 substances, including Ag chemicals (my main concern). It cost me about $350, but the results showed no contaminants, and made me very reassured.

You need to KNOW for certain what is in the water, because you may be required to clean it up, even if you did not cause the contamination . The state and Federal environmental laws are very complex and can bite very hard. I would even consider a clause in your sales agreement, if you do decide to make an offer on the property, which specially makes the previous owner responsible for any contamination that occurred prior to your moving in. I probably would not buy the property at all with chloroform present in the water, if it was due to industrial causes, even if it could be cleared with filtering. Use caution.

[RikBallard]

Hakim-
Thanks for your response. The property was part of a larger ranch a long time ago and was partitioned into smaller tracts about 30 years ago. I assume that the source of the contaminants would be farm related and not industrial. I will definitely look into having a neutral water testing facility perform a more detailed analysis.
You mentioned “…the chloroform may have been a transient presence, due perhaps to the previous owner or his agent "shocking" the well with chlorine prior to showing you the property (a very common procedure with rural wells).�
Does the chloroform level dissipate under that condition or does it cause a recurring problem?

-Ricky

[Hakim]

Hi Rik,

Info from US Geologic Survey follows below. Some of it does not directly apply to your case, but may give ideas for further investigation. You really have to find out the actual source of this chloroform. If the land has been vacant for 30 years, it is likely some transient source.You do need to test.

I would spend some time in the nearest town, and go to a feed store or farm store, and "ask around" a bit. Mention that you have had some well testing done, and mention chloroform was found. If this is a "known" problem in the area, they will know, and likely be willing to talk about it. That may also give you some additional info to match up with any test results.

In most states is is definitely illegal for a real estate agent or property owner to purposefully withhold information on ground water contamination . Maybe since this is an "absentee" owner, the RE thinks they can get away with something. I would write a letter to the agent/brokerage, and get them to respond in writing to this issue.

====================
Info ...

Natural Sources
Groundwater contamination can occur in many ways and from many sources, both natural- and human-induced. Groundwater commonly contains one or more naturally occurring chemicals, leached from soil or rocks by percolating water, in concentrations that exceed federal or state drinking water standards or otherwise impair its use.

Waste Disposal Practices
Perhaps the best-known sources of groundwater contamination are associated with the storage or disposal of liquid and solid wastes. The organic substances most frequently reported in groundwater as resulting from waste disposal in decreasing order of occurrence, are:

trichloroethylene (TCE)
chloroform
benzene
pentachlorophenol
tetrachloroethylene (PCE)
creosote
phenolic compounds
l,l,l-trichloroethane
toluene
xylene

Waste disposal can take a number of forms:

septic systems
municipal and industrial landfills
surface impoundments
waste-injection wells
direct application of stabilized wastes to the land
In addition to these regulated forms of disposal, a considerable amount of unregulated disposal, such as illegal dumping and accidental spills, contributes to groundwater contamination.

Septic Systems
Septic systems are the largest source by volume of waste discharged to the land. These systems are sources of bacteria, viruses, nitrate, phosphorus, chloride and organic substances, including organic solvents such as trichloroethylene that are sold commercially to "clean" the systems.

In 1980, about 22 million domestic disposal systems were in operation, and about one-half million new systems are installed each year. It is estimated that from one-third to one-half of existing systems could be operating improperly because of poor location, design, construction or maintenance practices.

Even when Operating properly, systems can be spaced so densely that their discharge exceeds the capacity of the local soil to assimilate the pollutant loads. Because the 10- to 15-year design life of many septic systems built during the 1960s and 1970s is now exceeded, groundwater contamination caused by septic system failure probably will increase in the future.

Landfills
About 150 million tons of municipal solid waste and 240 million tons of industrial solid waste are deposited in 16,400 landfills each year. Some hazardous waste material may be deposited in municipal landfills and underlying groundwater may become contaminated. Wastes deposited at industrial landfills include a large assortment of trace metals, acids, volatile organic compounds and pesticides, which may cause significant local contamination.

Surface impoundments
Surface impoundments are used to store, treat or dispose of oil and gas brines, acidic mine wastes, industrial wastes (mainly liquids), animal wastes, municipal treatment plant sludges and cooling water. For the most part, these impoundments contain nonhazardous wastes; however, hazardous wastes are known to be treated, stored and disposed of by 400 facilities involving about 3,200 impoundments. Some of these impoundments have significant potential for contaminating groundwater.

Injection Wells
In some parts of the country, injection wells dispose of liquid wastes underground. Of particular concern is the widespread use of drainage wells to dispose of urban stormwater runoff and irrigation drainage. Contaminants associated with drainage wells include suspended sediments; dissolved solids; bacteria; sodium; chloride; nitrate; phosphate; lead, and organic compounds, including pesticides.

Land Application of Wastes
In many places, solid and liquid wastes are placed or sprayed on the land, commonly after treatment and stabilization. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated that more than 7 million dry tons of sludge from at least 2,463 publicly owned waste treatment plants are applied to about 11,900 parcels of land each year. Contamination can occur from improper land-disposal techniques.

Storage and Handling of Materials and Wastes
Groundwater contamination as the result of storage and handling of materials includes leaks from both above-ground and underground storage tanks, as well as unintentional spills or poor housekeeping practices in the handling and transferring of materials on industrial and commercial sites.

Leaking Underground Storage Tanks
Possibly as many as 7 million steel tanks are used to store petroleum products, acids, chemicals, industrial solvents and other types of waste underground. The potential of these tanks to leak increases with age. About 20 percent of existing steel tanks are more than 16 years old, and estimates of the total number that presently leak petroleum products range from 25 to 30 percent. Underground storage tanks appear to be a leading source of benzene, toluene and xylene contaminants, all of which are organic compounds in diesel and gasoline fuels.

Transporting and Stockpiling
Many materials and wastes are transported and then temporarily stored in stockpiles before being used or shipped elsewhere. Precipitation can leach potential contaminants from such stockpile; storage containers can corrode and leak; and accidental spills can occur - as many as 10,000 to 16,000 per year, according to EPA estimates.

Mining Practices
Mining of coal, uranium and other substances and the related mine spoil can lead to groundwater contamination in several ways:

Shafts and tunnels can intersect aquifers.
Exposing coal to oxygen can form sulfuric acid, which can degrade water quality.
Contaminants from tailings can leach into groundwater.

Oil-Well Brines
Since the 1800s, hundreds of thousands of exploratory and production wells have been drilled for oil and gas in the United States. During production, oil wells produce brines that are separated from the oil and stored in surface impoundments. EPA estimates that 125,100 brine-disposal impoundments exist that might affect local groundwater supplies.

Agricultural Activities
Agriculture is one of the most widespread human activities that affects the quality of groundwater. In 1987, about 330 million acres were used for growing crops in the United States, of which 45 million acres were irrigated.

Fertilizers
During the 1960s and 1970s, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer use steadily increased to a peak of 23 million tons in 1981. By 1987, however, fertilizer use had declined to 19.2 million tons, reflecting the large number of acres withdrawn from production as part of the Conservation Reserve Program and other government programs.

If nitrogen supply exceeds nitrogen uptake by crops, excess nitrogen can be leached to groundwater. In such areas, local nitrate-nitrogen concentrations may exceed the federal drinking water standard of 10 mg/L

Pesticides
Pesticides have been used since the 1940s to combat a variety of agricultural pests. Between 1964 and 1982, the amount of active ingredients applied to croplands increased 170 percent. Herbicide usage peaked in 1982, and since then has declined from about 500 million pounds of active ingredients per year to about 430 million pounds in 1987.

In addition to crop applications, infiltration of spilled pesticides can cause contamination in locations where pesticides are stored, and where sprayers and other equipment used to apply pesticides are loaded and washed.

Pesticides most frequently detected in groundwater are the fumigants ethylene dibromide (EDB) and 1,2-dichloropropane; the insecticides aldicarb, carbofuran and chlordane; and the herbicides alachlor and atrazine.

Feedlots
Feedlots confine livestock and poultry and create problems of animal-waste disposal. Feedlot wastes often are collected in impoundments from which they might infiltrate to groundwater and raise nitrate concentrations. Runoff from farmyards may also directly enter an aquifer along the outside of a poorly sealed well easing.

Irrigation
Percolation of irrigation water into soils dissolves soil salts and transports them downward. Evapotranspiration of applied water from the root zone concentrates salts in the soil and increases the salt load to the groundwater.

Chemigation, the practice of mixing and distributing pesticides and fertilizers with irrigation water, may cause contamination if more chemicals are applied than crops can use. It may also cause local contamination if chemicals back-siphon from the holding tank directly into the aquifer through an irrigation well.

Saline Water Intrusion
The encroachment of saline water into the freshwater part of an aquifer is an ever-present threat when water supplies are developed from the highly productive coastal plain aquifers of the United States, or from aquifers underlain by saline water in the interior of the country. Local incidents of saline water intrusion have occurred on all coasts of the United States.
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[Inspector507]

Did the test reveal chloroform or was it coliform?
Coliform is common in wells. It's not good, but common.

[Hakim]

Chloroform or coliform? VERY good point Jerry. I didn't think of that.

[RikBallard]

Inspector-
I asked for clarification on the chloroform/coliform issue and my real estate agent said it was chloroform. He told me that the seller’s agent was being very cooperative and up front with the issues so that makes me feel a bit more at ease. I sure wouldn’t want to worry about them hiding things.
I am going to put together a list of questions/concerns and get them to my agent for the seller to answer. I’m using the information that Hakim has posted and if anyone has more I’m glad to receive it (I can’t imagine there being more b/c Hakim seems pretty thorough [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] ). I am also going to get another test done by a neutral party.

Thanks
-Ricky

[Hakim]

Hi,

The seller and his agent have no choice but to be "very up front an cooperative." As I said, there are Federal laws...

I would be concerned to ask them if they know of any possible source for this contamination. According to state regulatory agencies, one of the main sources of chloroform, is "waste disposal." We lived in Upstate New York, and one thing that did go on was "illegal dumping" of wastes, including industrial and also hospital wastes. Even on our relatively small parcel of 55 acres, there was PLENTY of room to back up a tanker and dump wastes out and leave. I do not know the situation in Texas, but is seems odd that the owner would have no idea at all as to where this came from. Somebody knows, or can find out.

Also you want to carefully inquire about underground fuel tanks, or fertilizer or other storage tanks. They may have been used, even years ago, and just begin leaking now.

I would go a bit further with trying to talk with someone from a nearby town. Even better, go to the neighboring property owners, and ask them. They have as much at stake as you do, since the groundwater easily could (or may already have) invade their wells. You do not need to alarm them, just ask them "how's your well water?" Ask if they've ever had "any problems." Country people are usually pretty straightforward and will talk honestly with you.

You problem is three-fold: 1) you do not want to buy a ranch and have a water supply that causes cancer and other serious diseases; 2) you do not want to get stuck with State or Federally-ordered clean up of groundwater contaminants (can easily run six figures or more: read your state laws, it will give you the heebie jeebies); 3) you do not want to buy the land, be unable to abate the contamination, then get stuck with an unsaleable piece of land... Serious issues, all.

These issues have come up before over on our sister site at TractorByNet.com . You can go over there and do a search for appropriate topics (chloroform has not beene directly addressed, but wells have, many times), and see some other perspectives. My own position is, hey, its a big world, and why should I take any chances at all with contaminated groundwater.

Keep us posted.

[Pat]

Regarding the potentially transient nature of chloroform that is a byproduct of chlorination... It will clear up exponentially as water is removed from the well such that over time it will be essentially completely gone. This may take up to hundreds of gal of flow depending on the storage volume of the well. If a significant quantity of water is removed from the well, say at least 5 times the storage volume, and the chloroform level is not reduced to just a small percentage of the value prior to "purging" then the well is producing the contaminated water and it is NOT a transient phenomenon.

This test would require you to pull a sample for testing, run the pump sufficiently to pump out at least 5 times the storage volume of the well and then take a second sample. If the second is not much lower in its chloroform content the water supply itself is contaminated not just your well.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[RikBallard]

Here is an update:

The realtor has not answered all of my questions yet, but he did get this much to me: The water testing was done 3 times and tested all three wells at one time or another. Test kits then are sent to Waco for testing. This is who is failing the wells.

Pat-
I will inquire about the transient nature of this contamination. I would assume that if the water source is contaminated the county extension agent would NEED to know. Obviously the water pumped out would be run out over a portion of the property. Does chloroform have any adverse affect on the vegetation, livestock, or soil?