Tapping into a private well has a few advantages compared to drinking city water or buying bottled water.
Here, we’ve outlined the top benefits of well water.
📌 Key Takeaways:
- Well water has several health benefits, thanks to its high healthy minerals concentration and lack of surface water pollutants.
- Plus, well supplies have other benefits, including that their quality isn’t compromised by chemical treatment, they’re more affordable than city water, they boost property value, they give access to water in remote areas, and more.
- Make sure to get your well water tested regularly for possible contaminants. Well water may still need to be treated with water filtration systems, but treatment is your choice – you don’t have to disinfect it with harsh chemicals.
Table of Contents
✅ 11 Benefits Of Well Water
Here are the 11 biggest benefits of drinking water from a well.
Independently Controlled Water Supply
A private well supply isn’t controlled by a municipal water company, and it’s not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The well owner is responsible for testing and treating their water. Many well owners appreciate having the flexibility to treat their water as they want.
If you own a well, you have complete control over the methods used to treat your well water, including anything that might be added to your water. If you want to avoid a certain method of treatment, you can do. And, if you want to completely remove a contaminant that the EPA says is safe in trace levels, you can do.
Plus, you should be able to control your access to your well supply for the most part. While city water can be turned off by another person (such as to carry out pipe repairs or if a dangerous contaminant is detected), well water is available whenever you need it.
Natural, Untreated Water
Another big benefit of well water compared to city water is that it’s natural and untreated.
Municipal water is typically disinfected with trace amounts of harmful chemicals, like chlorine or chloramine. This method of disinfection is low-cost, so it’s an affordable option for large-scale applications at water treatment plants. It also protects water throughout its journey through the municipal water system to homes and businesses in a neighborhood.
As a private well owner, you don’t need to worry about the cost of large-scale disinfection because you’re simply treating your water at home. Plus, you don’t need to be concerned about protecting your water from recontamination because you can treat it once it’s already in your home’s plumbing system.
That means you can consider chemical-free methods of disinfection – if needed – such as UV purification, which won’t alter your water quality or make it any less natural.
You may not even need to filter your well water. When water seeps through layers of soil and rock to reach an underground aquifer, these layers provide a natural filtration process, which is why well water is often naturally clean and free from most contaminants.
Less Susceptible To Pollution
Well water is also less susceptible to pollution than municipal water.
Most city water supplies are sourced from a surface water body. Surface waters are exposed to the elements, which means they can be polluted by deposits from the air, rainfall, and surface runoff.
Plus, city water is also at risk of picking up contaminants (like copper, lead, and other heavy metals) from the underground pipe system as it travels to your home, and there’s always a risk of microbial contamination. The bigger the water system, the more opportunities for the water quality to be compromised. If your local water system gets a lot of boil water advisories, you’re probably only too aware of this.
Well water, on the other hand, is underground, and water from the surface is filtered through the earth before arriving at the aquifer.
A well aquifer is protected by tens – sometimes hundreds – of feet of earth. Underground, the only real risk of contamination comes from metals and minerals that are naturally present in the earth (like arsenic).
That means well water is less susceptible to pollution than city water from a lake, river, or stream.
More Affordable Than City Water
A big cost advantage of well water is that it’s free to access – unlike city water, which you have to pay a monthly water bill for, and bottled water, which costs up to hundreds of dollars per year.
If you want to spend as little money as possible to access clean drinking water, tapping into a private well is the obvious solution.
You might have to make an initial purchase if your well water contains contaminants and you need to invest in a whole house water filter.
But the long-term cost of accessing well water is still much lower than the cost of being on a municipal drinking water system. Cities have been raising water bills in recent years, and this won’t affect you if you drink water from a private well.
Consistent & Reliable Water
Your city’s water supply might not be as reliable as you think. Droughts and natural disasters can reduce water availability, which can quickly become a problem in states that are known for their long, hot, dry summers.
Well water tends to be much more consistent and reliable. Water from your own private well might only be used for your property, or a few properties in your area. You won’t have to contend with hundreds of thousands of other water customers, as you would on a municipal water supply.
While shallow wells might dry up during periods of drought, deep wells are unlikely to be effected. The average lifespan of a well is 30-50 years – potentially even longer, depending on the well’s size, age, and quality of construction.
That means, once you tap into a well on your property, you should be able to enjoy a guaranteed supply of water for decades to come.
Reduces Strain On Municipal Suppliers
Many municipal suppliers are put under strain to provide enough water to meet the demands of the growing population, especially during periods of drought.
Switching to your own well supply means that you can help to reduce this strain by giving your municipal supplier one less household to worry about.
You might not think that a single household in the area will make much difference – but imagine if even a quarter of city water customers switched to well water. It would certainly reduce strain on your municipal water provider.
Better For The Environment
Municipal water sources require multiple stages of processing at the treatment plant to make them safe to drink.
Large amounts of energy are used for this processing – especially when you consider just how many thousands of gallons are processed constantly every single day.
Switching to a well supply is much better for the environment because ground water is naturally filtered by the earth. You may need to treat well water with a filtration system at home, but this will use far less energy than large-scale water treatment.
Plus, well water is a renewable source, so you won’t have to resort to methods of accessing water that are harmful to the environment.
Boosts Property Value
You might not be thinking of selling and moving any time soon, but it’s good to know that tapping into a well on your property can boost the value of your home.
The cost benefits of private wells make them appealing to prospective homeowners. A properly constructed, deep well with a long projected lifespan and reliable water access will be particularly invaluable if you live in a very rural area and don’t have a public water system.
A well is an asset to a home if the water can be used for drinking. If you own a farm, an irrigation well will also increase the value of your home.
Available In Remote Areas
Another great benefit of well water is that it allows people living in remote, off the grid areas to have access to a clean, fresh drinking water source.
City water isn’t supplied to every single part of the country. You might prefer to live in a rural location that’s away from the hustle and bustle of human activity, and that shouldn’t mean that you can’t access safe drinking water.
A private well is the best solution for water if you live off the grid. As long as you have a well that’s drilled deep enough into the ground and provides a good yield of water that exceeds your demand, you should have the reassurance of water whenever you need it.
Mineral-Rich
As water filters through layers of rock and soil to reach a well aquifer, it picks up trace minerals, like calcium, magnesium, and potassium, from its surroundings.
These minerals boost the water’s health properties and give water a pleasant taste.
You can enjoy all the health benefits of drinking well water that’s rich in essential nutrients, including healthy bones and teeth, improved energy levels, muscle contraction, and normal heart and nerve functions.
While we should get plenty of minerals from the foods in our diets, it’s beneficial to have them in our drinking water supplies, too.
Better-Tasting Water
Because of its lack of surface water pollutants and chemicals, and its rich mineral content, well water has a cleaner taste that many people prefer.
Well water isn’t chlorinated, which is one of the most common taste complaints of city water. That means it tastes much fresher, with no “swimming pool” taste.
If you enjoy the taste of bottled water, you should also enjoy well water. Drinking water that tastes pleasant to you should encourage you to drink more, so you’re more inclined to stay hydrated.
🔚 Final Word
It’s worth noting that not all well water supplies are equal in quality. Location, geology, well depth, and potential contamination sources all affect the quality of your water supply.
Of course, there are a few disadvantages of well water, too. While wells are less susceptible to contamination than surface water sources, they may still be polluted by nearby septic systems, nuclear power plants, natural disasters, or even a dead animal falling into the well.
Also, there’s no guarantee that well water meets or exceeds EPA quality guidelines, and it’s your responsibility to install a well filtration system in your home if necessary.
It’s important to get your water regularly tested to ensure it’s safe to drink, and treat your water if necessary. This should allow you to enjoy all the benefits of drinking well water without the potential setbacks of tapping into an untreated drinking water supply.
