While field practices also have the potential to contaminate groundwater, this package is not designed to address that concern. As a private water user, you alone are responsible for your drinking-water quality. However, if you have not had any problems to date, and do not feel it is worth you time to do the full survey, at least complete the risk assessment in this bulletin to see how your farmstead or rural homesite fares. It does, however, highlight important factors associated with protecting groundwater. Several studies show older wells are more likely to be contaminated than newer wells.
Deeper wells tend to have fewer problems than shallow wells.
Construction methods influence ability of the well to protect groundwater from direct surface contamination. Hand-dug and driven wells do not meet current well construction standards. Landscape features Separation distances and drainage direction influence whether a potential pollution source will reach the well site. A large separation distance and an up-slope position of a well site reduce the pollution hazard of a particular source. There are many structures and activities around a rural well site that pose a risk to the water supply.