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Danville, CA (petman2@yahoo.com)

Ok, so here is a new twist. I had a well put in last year and had the water tested shortly thereafter. The results are listed below and I was wondering what you guys thought of them. Based on my reading, some of the levels aren't so great. Also didn't know if some of these values tend to decrease as the well becomes seasoned? This test is not cheap ($250) but if you think I should retest after a year of use... Also, I am not using the well right now, but if it would help, I can continue to draw off the water and put it down the drain. Any ideas are welcomed.

Total Hardness    520    mg/L
Calcium     120    mg/L
Magnesium    55    mg/L
Sodium     620    mg/L
Potassium    0.82    mg/L

Total Cations     37.49    Meq/L

Total Alkalinity (as CaCO3)    760    mg/L
Sulfate     350    mg/l
Chloride    200    mg/l
Nitrate     2.3    mg/l

Total Anions    28.16    Meq/L

pH    7.9    

Specific Conductance (E.C.)     2900    umhos/cm
Total filterable residue    1600    mg/L
        
Copper     0    ug/L
Iron     390    ug/L
Manganese    1300    ug/L
Zinc     0    ug/L

12/28/2007 11:58:46 AM

Western NY

If the well had been bail tested previous to this sample, or even run for a while, the levels presented here should be somewhat steady over time, depending on use and the characteristics of the aquifer.

how deep is the well? the sodium seems pretty high to me, actually to the point that you shouldn't drink it if you're even a little concerned about the health affects of a high sodium diet.

12/28/2007 12:17:15 PM

southwest MO

Those are some very high numbers... I dont know why you put the well in or what your plans are for the well but I wouldn't use it for irrigation.

12/28/2007 4:34:26 PM

Danville, CA (petman2@yahoo.com)

Well... the well was for my pumpkins and general irrigation. I watered my pumpkins exclusively with this water all last season and the plants showed no ill effects, however I maxed out pumpkin weight at 458, one at 425, 400, and a few smaller. (Only my second year growing, last year my pb was 492 so keep that in mind) I have also used this to water the lawn and plants without any noticeable effects. So I was wondering if these levels could be skewed because it was a "new" well and whether they would drop and level over time. The amount of water available and recovery time has certainly improved so I was thinking that as my well starts to develop, the quality will improve as the aquifer to the well becomes less "clogged" so to speak. Anyone know or should I just bite the bullet and have it tested again. If I do have it tested again, what specific readings are people concerned with so perhaps I can reduce the cost by only testing for a few things. I know sodium is high but what else specifically. If not listed here, what? Thanks

12/28/2007 8:11:30 PM

southwest MO

I would be concerned with a build up of salts over a period of time, and creating balance issues with in the soil.. A Total filterable residue or Total dissolved solids(TDS) Of 1600 mg/L has you delivering over 13 pounds of mineral salts per 1,000 gallons of water. This may not seem like much but over time it can add up significantly.

12/28/2007 11:33:38 PM

Danville, CA (petman2@yahoo.com)

I just learned Oklahoma State will do this test for me cheaply. I will test again and see what the results are. Thanks for the help so far.

12/28/2007 11:55:46 PM

ExtremeVegetables.com

I plan on having my water tested this year. I am suffering from highly alkaline water . I use this water in the greenhouse to grow bedding plants for sale. I'm not sure how the higher alkalinity will affect my outdoor gardens but I do know that even while using fertilizers which lower the PH of the medium in my containers, over the season the build up of minerals in the containers brings the PH to far out of range for healthy growth of plants which require a lower PH, such as the popular "wave Petunia" or Calabrichoa.

I have found a relatively inexpensive testing facility here:
http://harristurf.crinet.com/test_pack_suply/test_pack.asp
They also test plant tissue and soil.

12/29/2007 8:28:34 AM

ExtremeVegetables.com

Sorry, the first link I posted takes you to their supplies order page. here be the correct one:
http://www.scottstestlab.com/water_packagingPricing.php

12/29/2007 10:22:25 AM

Cornwall UK.(50N 5W)300ft.

So I was absolutely spot on 5 posts down!
Keep in mind that you started out last season with low sodium and may not have yet seen the full effects.
Take a look at the old diaries of Hot pumpkin(ben)
He had a similar problem with saline water and may be able to help you with advice.
It will be interesting to see if new test results are different but don't hold your breath as sodium tracks sideways easily.
At least you will have time to try and leach it out with some other water.

Mark

12/29/2007 10:51:07 AM

Danville, CA (petman2@yahoo.com)

Greehousin, that looks like a good site as well.

AXC - You are right, I forgot about the water! Although I also ran a plow through it so I may have aggrevated the issue by bringing up some of the salts from below.

I am hoping, although not holding my breath, that the water has changed since last year. Fingers crossed. If not, water is going to be expensive again....

12/29/2007 1:42:23 PM

Danville, CA (petman2@yahoo.com)

New test. The test above was 7/07 now 1/08 at a different lab (Scotts Testing Lab). Many new things tested and most things have decreased or remained flat. I think the key is that the SODIUM HAS DROPPED 50%! I continue to run the well to flush it and will have one more test in late April before planting. What do you think of these results.

Soluble Salts mmhos/cm 2.47
pH 7.4
Alkalinity 901 ppm
Calcium 199 ppm
Boron 1.20 ppm
Fluoride 0.70 ppm
Iron 0.20 ppm
Manganese 0.01 ppm
Sulfur 119.33 ppm
Copper 0.10 ppm
Zinc 0.20 ppm
Molybdenum 0.10 ppm
Aluminum 0.24 ppm
Nitrate N03-N 1.43 ppm
Ammonium NH4-N 2.50 ppm
Total Nitrogen 3.93 ppm
Phosphorus 0.13 ppm
Potassium 3.00 ppm

1/24/2008 5:36:22 PM

Danville, CA (petman2@yahoo.com)

Skipped these for some reason

Magnesium 61.0 ppm

Sodium 329.0 ppm

Chloride 199.0 ppm

1/24/2008 5:37:49 PM