Hello all;

I had a well dug 1.5 years ago before I purchased my land in order to determine whether or not the water table had the necessary GPM to fill and keep my ponds topped off. It turns out we had water - so I purchased the land.

I had enough to pump up to 90 GPM [with a 10 HP pump!] but there existed some risks pumping that high rate from my well over time - so I settled for a smaller pump [5 HP] to handle around 50 GPM.

Bob Lusk pointed out something I never considered in a post today - it's wise to have the chemistry of your well water tested and analyzed prior to commiting to a pond project. Makes sense - I just went with my well driller's assessment that everything in my report "looked fine" [what else would he say?]. Should have brought my test results to the forum before I went and created four ponds, however, I suppose it's still worthwhile to get some feedback from anyone who would be willing to lend their expertise and help me out!

Here are the results:

Nitrate+Nitrate Nitrogren - Not Detected
Flouride - .49 mg/l
ph at 22.0 Celsius - 7.8
Turbidity - 1.0 NTU
Total Dissolved Solids - 483 mg/l
Hardness [CaCO3] - 340 mg/l
Hardness [CaCO3] - 20 grains/gal
Electrical Conductivity - 0.754 mmho/cm
Sulfate [SO4] - 30 mg/l
Total Calcium - 88 mg/l
Total Iron - not detected
Total Magnesium - 0.67 mg/l
Total Sodium - 36 mg/l

Any feedback? I hope these results are within acceptable parameters?

Kinda have a sinking feeling like I'm waiting for a professor to post my grade...I hope I don't have reason to.

Thanks in advance guys...

Nitrate, pH, and turbidity are good. Public drinking water ranges from .1-.3 NTU's.

Conductivity is really low. Water I sample all year ranges from 30 uS/cm in a tributary of the Arkansas River to 500+ in the Arkansas River itself.

What are the implications of having low conductivity? (just trying to learn here).

I am not sure how it effects the fish other than making it hard to do an electrofishing survey.

Here's the feedback Bob provided another forum member regarding their potential well project:

One word of caution, though. Learn about the aquifer where the water comes from.
I have seen well water do funny things to ponds...like be the main cause for muddy water due to an ionic imbalance of dissolved minerals. I've even seen water lacking in certain minerals as to need to be amended with gypsum or buffered with lime. If you can get a water analysis of that aquifer it would be helpful, especially if you do it before you drill the well. I've seen several cases where the landowner would have made a different decision regarding a well...if they had only known the issues in advance.

I think my ph and salinity are within acceptable parameters...again anyone's feedback is appreciated. Doesn't pay to be a worrywart, I'm stuck with what I have, but I can't help it apparently to see if I should be planning on some additional measures to get the ponds in balance.

No alkalinity reading? ???

Um...no. Cecil, do you have a good chemical compound checklist [Bob Lusk mentioned one exists] for well water testing as it relates to fisheries management?

Cecil

I thought ph measured alkalinity? 7.0 being neutral, 7.8 a little on the alkaline side?

Alkalinity tells you how buffered the water is. The higher the alkalinity the less likely the pH will change. If the alkalinity is less than 20 you can have a daily swing in pH.

Thanks for the clarification Chris.

I think the well water tests were meant mainly for human consumption...might be why some of the critical elements are apparently missing from my test results as they relate to pond/fisheries management.

You can buy alkalinity tests at your pet store and are easy to do.

I sent a well water sample to these guys. Lots of parameters and interpretation.

http://www.ftai.com/water.htm

Note: I wouldn't trust any iron level readings anyone does unless they were done on site.

Thanks guys, really appreciate your feedback.

Here's another well for comparison.
_________________________________________________________________

Sample I.D.: Well Water

Test Requested Units Date Analyzed Results
Chlorides mg/L 4/23/2009 240.0
Hard,Mg. mg/L 4/27/2009 23.7
Hard,Ca. mg/L 4/27/2009 <.001
Total Hardness mg/L 4/27/2009 23.7
Iron mg/L 4/27/2009 0.02
pH 4/27/2009 7.25
Sodium mg/L 4/23/2009 400.0
Sulfates mg/L 4/27/2009 1150.0
Alkalinity mg/L 4/27/2009 340.0
Fecal Pass/Fail 0424/2009 Pass



Even though the sample shows no sign of fecal matter and passes the other parameters with
satisfaction, this sample shows extremely high sulfate content.
________________________________________________________________

Tee, curious how deep and size casing used on your well?

270' 6" casing - 5 HP variable speed pump. Pics are coming when this thing is finally finished. Have very "friendly" and affordable well driller, but he's exceedingly slow and unreliable...this project's original completion date was Autumn 08. Seriously. Oh well, I've learned that in NE at least where fishery biologists and pond construction companies are few and far between, one needs to exercise EXTREME patience and suspend normal business expectations.

This is one, and maybe the ONLY time, I wish I were in Texas

You know, my Texas pond brethren, I jest!

With the hardness and Ca reading you have your total alkalinity will be good. For general comparison purposes.

Eric

Are you referring to my test results, or Ahavsta's?

Eric

If my alkalinity is in line can we somewhat rule out ionic imbalance as a cause for clarity issues?

Not necessarily but it sure improves the chances.


http://srac.tamu.edu/index.cfm?catid=25 then see SRAC 0460 Control of Clay Turbidity in Ponds


Hardness

Water hardness is important to

fish culture and is a commonly reported

aspect of water quality. It

is a measure of the quantity of divalent

ions (for this discussion,

salts with two positive charges)

such as calcium, magnesium

and/or iron in water. Hardness

can be a mixture of divalent salts;

however, calcium and magnesium

are the most common sources of

water hardness.


Then note from the link above :



Flocculation and

coagulation

Flocculation is a way of controlling

clay turbidity by adding substances

to water that facilitate the

formation of bridges between particles

(Fig. 2), allowing them to

combine into groups of small particles

called “flocs” (Fig. 3). Metal

salts make good flocculants,

depending on pH. These

hydrolyzed metal compounds

destabilize colloids by shrinking

the layer of positively charged

ions surrounding clay particles,
which increases the attraction of

one particle to another (coagulation).

Hydrolyzed metals also can

be adsorbed onto the surfaces of

clay particles and create bridges to

other particles (flocculation). As

these particles begin to settle, they

ensnare other particles, become

progressively heavier, and settle

much more readily from suspension.

In general, the effectiveness of

coagulants increases with the

charge on the metal ion. The sodium

(Na+) in sodium chloride

(NaCl) is not a very effective coagulant.

The calcium (Ca2+) in gypsum

(CaSO4) is more effective

because it carries a +2 charge.

The aluminum (Al3+) in alum and

the ferric-iron (Fe3+) in ferric sulfate

are more effective yet because

they carry a +3 charge. Some

companies now manufacture various

synthetic “polyelectrolytes,”

which are large, long-chained

molecules with even more charge

than the metal salt coagulants listed

here.

I actually understood that...scary! Thanks Eric...this is really helpful.

TJ, since you have hardly any magnesium in the test, the alkalinity should approach the hardness, which is the calcium carbonate component. al's extreme diff. in alk and hardness looks to be due to the abnormally high sulphates.
IMO, the conductivity is not correct considering the high level listed of TDS. I think it should read .754 milli mhos or 754 micro mhos.
I wish for a smidgin of your hardness/alkalinity. The only thing I would suggest is take it easy on the fertilizer, it may not take much since the hardness will make all of it soluble.

Don't worry TJ, a lot of men cry themselves to sleep at night wishing they were Texans.

And even more wishing they weren't.

Uh oh.

What's going on with this push for sovereignty [sp?] from our Texas brethren? I don't like the idea of needing a passport to:

Visit our pondboss friends
Frequent the best vertical chrome pole taverns in the US...back in the day I met the potential Mrs. Hudson in those romantic little venues...at least a dozen times!

They have taverns just for firemen in Texas?

You have reason to be careful TJ, get on Theo's bad side and he'll annihilate you with a quadruple entendre.

Aptly put, JHAP...I am heeding this advice. I think Theo is beyond being impressed by mere mortals, I'll keep chasing his tail since that Wikipedia post on Condello which cannot be equaled...so next best thing is simply not to invoke the wrath of "That Which Lurks Beneath the Water" [okay, JHAP help a brutha out by posting the pic of Theo swimming in pond - please!]

Sorry TJ, normally I'd help you out, but I didn't get to be 51 years old by taunting rocket scientists. Plus I learned my lesson with Brettski (and am still learning it), some people it just doesn't pay to taunt, they have powers beyond mere mortals.

Here's a well test I had done a few years ago. Note how high the alkalinity and hardness are. I can almost walk on the water it's so hard. But the fish do well!

BTW the iron result is too low. Like I said iron needs to be tested on site.

I think I'm one of those people. I've had two people unjustly give me a really hard time and both died shortly after that of natural causes at a fairly young age. I know it was probably just a coincidence but...

On a funny note I told this to a fellow taxidermist on a taxidermy website that had given me a hard time. He emailed me and told me he had just been flooded out and whatever I was doing to cut it out. I jokingly told him I'd take the vodoo doll of him out of the bathtub.

OK, Cecil, I'll buy the buglite. Money is no object. I'm sending a blank check.

Frequent the best vertical chrome pole taverns in the US...back in the day I met the potential Mrs. Hudson in those romantic little venues...at least a dozen times!

They have taverns just for firemen in Texas?

Well they call me the fireman.......that's my name.

I thought that might fish out a response from you fireman...

I have a new test being performed on the well water tomorrow - will post results.

Do I know how to sell something or what?

Nitrate+Nitrate Nitrogren - Not Detected
Flouride - .49 mg/l
ph at 22.0 Celsius - 7.8 (slightly alaline but in range with well Water
Turbidity - 1.0 NTU (expect ground water to be low TSS)
Total Dissolved Solids - 483 mg/l (this is the measure of TDS)
Hardness [CaCO3] - 340 mg/l (total calcium and magnesium)
Hardness [CaCO3] - 20 grains/gal(17.1 ppm per Grain)
Electrical Conductivity - 0.754 mmho/cm (probably 754 mhos)
Sulfate [SO4] - 30 mg/l (typical)
Total Calcium - 88 mg/l (multiply by 2.5 to get as CaCO3)
Total Iron - not detected (good)
Total Magnesium - 0.67 mg/l (multiply by 4.12 to get as CacO3)
Total Sodium - 36 mg/ Typical)

This apears to be typical ground water, high in hardness and probably alkalinity. With low sodium, the hardness will likely be associated with alkalinity and your total bicarbonate alakalinity will be approximately equal to hardness as CaCO3.

Thanks Mike. Good info to have.