Well Casing

New wells should be lined with a watertight casing designed to prevent the walls of the well from collapsing and prevent surface water from directly entering your water source. Well casings must be of sufficient depth to keep contaminants out of the well water. Also, the casing should extend out of the soil to prevent surface water from entering the well. The soil around the well should be mounded in a slope away from the well so surface water will flow away from the casing.

Drilled wells typically use steel casings, but casings can also be made from food grade plastic. The casing should be at least 6m in length.

Dug well casings should be made of food grade plastic, PVC piping, or concrete and should extend greater than 3m into the ground. Avoid using wood because when it begins to rot it could let surface water into the well, collapse and/or provide a home for vermin. Galvanized steel is commonly found as a liner in older wells, but is no longer recommended for this purpose. As we can see from street culverts, galvanized steel rusts over time and may release significant amounts of iron, aluminum and other minerals into your water. Galvanized steel may also interact with other metals and minerals naturally found in your well.