Well water and horses - Ask Extension
I have a neighbor who would like to allow his 2 horses to graze on a one acre parcel which is near our well. Do I need to worry about well water conta...
Knowledgebase
Well water and horses #782701
Asked February 26, 2022, 3:08 PM EST
I have a neighbor who would like to allow his 2 horses to graze on a one acre parcel which is near our well. Do I need to worry about well water contamination?
Jackson County Oregon
Expert Response
Greetings
The following was taken from OSU Publication: Managing Small-Acreage Horse Farms in Western Oregon and Western Washington
https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/ec1558/html
To assess the impact that you or livestock have on the quality of your drinking water, first identify where your well is located in relation to your livestock, drain field, petroleum storage tanks and other potential sources of contamination.
Learn all you can about your well. Perform a visual inspection for cracks in the casing or other deficiencies and read your well log. The county watermaster can help you find this document. Consider these important questions:
Many horse owners who live in rural areas depend on groundwater from a well for their family’s drinking water. Through proper management of animal waste, you can greatly reduce the risk of contaminating your source of drinking water. Groundwater also supplies your neighbors’ wells and eventually runs into streams and rivers, so we all must consider those who live downstream from us. For more information about well water protection, go to the OSU Well Water Program website.
The following was taken from OSU Publication: Managing Small-Acreage Horse Farms in Western Oregon and Western Washington
https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/ec1558/html
To assess the impact that you or livestock have on the quality of your drinking water, first identify where your well is located in relation to your livestock, drain field, petroleum storage tanks and other potential sources of contamination.
Learn all you can about your well. Perform a visual inspection for cracks in the casing or other deficiencies and read your well log. The county watermaster can help you find this document. Consider these important questions:
- Is your well located in a low area of your property?
- Is the wellhead properly sealed and are the vent pipe and screen in place?
- What is the age, depth and construction quality of your well?
- What is the depth to groundwater?
- Fence horses and other livestock away from wellheads. Keep livestock and manure piles at least 100 feet from wellheads.
- Use channels and berms to divert stormwater and drainage away from wellheads.
- Keep clean water clean and minimize manure-contaminated water by using gutters, downspouts, and pipes to route clean water away from manure and heavy-use areas.
- Test well water annually for Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria and nitrates. These indicate contamination with manure, fertilizers, septic-system waste or similar materials. E. coli bacteria should never be in well water.
- Do not leave a hose immersed in a stock tank. Install an anti-siphon value for all outdoor hose spigots — especially those used to water horses or mix chemicals — to prevent backflow into groundwater and your domestic water system.
- Look at your well’s sanitary seal. If you have doubts about its integrity, hire a well driller to inspect it.
Many horse owners who live in rural areas depend on groundwater from a well for their family’s drinking water. Through proper management of animal waste, you can greatly reduce the risk of contaminating your source of drinking water. Groundwater also supplies your neighbors’ wells and eventually runs into streams and rivers, so we all must consider those who live downstream from us. For more information about well water protection, go to the OSU Well Water Program website.
