THE POTABILITY OF WATER IN THE WELL OF YOUR FINCA
In the last 12 months, due to COVID-19, many owners of their fincas in the Balearic Islands have been confined and have lived long periods. During this long stay, many of them have asked us for help in assessing whether the water in their wells is consumable and even drinkable for human consumption.
The water from the wells is not municipal water, it comes from a private source, it is not regulated or treated. For these reasons, it is very important to take the correct steps to determine if the water is drinkable and of a good enough quality to consume it daily.
Wells are complex as the composition of the water in the well changes over time. We have been able to verify that, on occasions, one well has a composition and another well 100 meters away has a totally different composition. Even consuming water from a well can be dangerous. For example, they can have high levels of nitrates (derived from the fertilizers that farmers use and have filtrated into the well), heavy metals, bacteria such as E-Coli or Coliforms (they can be treated with ultraviolet (see UV section) or chlorine to disinfect), high levels of chlorides, sulfates and high alkalinity that make the water unusable or highly corrosive. Another very common problem that we see in the wells of Mallorca is a high hardness of the water, which generates problems for the installations of the houses due to the accumulation of lime.
It is important to point out that to get advice (see our section about wells and fincas) from an expert team with experience in well water treatment and technical capacity; It is essential to assess whether your well water is drinkable or if it can be treated to make it consumable. Knowing how to do the correct analytics with a capable laboratory and a professional team in chemistry, interpreting the analytics, knowing the legal regulations, and based on that information design a technical solution for water treatment and filtration is essential. All these points are important so that you can consume the water from your well either for hygiene and cleaning purposes or even for human consumption (drink it daily).
