A properly protected spring underground and channel the water to a sealed spring box. At no time should the water be exposed to the ground surface. It is important to keep the plumbing system clean to maintain a sanitary water supply. Each time work is done on the plumbing or pump, the entire water system should be disinfected with chlorine. Simply pulling the pump out of the well, setting it on the grass to work on it, and returning it to the well is enough to contaminate the well with bacteria.
Shock chlorination is the procedure for cleaning and sanitizing a well or spring with chlorine.
The highly chlorinated water is held in the pipes for 12 to 24 hours before it is flushed out and the system is ready for use. Periodic shock chlorination also may be effective to reduce an iron bacteria problem. For wells, the amount of chlorine needed to shock chlorinate a water system is determined by the amount of water standing in the well. If in doubt, it is better to use more chlorine than less. Amount of chlorine needed for shock chlorination.