Predicting coliform presence in private wells as a function of well characteristics, parcel size and leachfield soil rating.

ABSTRACT

Public water systems must be tested frequently for coliform bacteria to determine whether other pathogens may be present, yet no testing or disinfection is required for private wells. In this paper, we identify whether well age, type of well, well depth, parcel size, and soil ratings for a leachfield can predict the probability of detecting coliform bacteria in private wells using a multivariate logistic regression model. Samples from 1163 wells were analyzed for the presence of coliform bacteria between October 2017 and October 2019 across Gaston County, North Carolina, USA. The maximum well age was 30 years, and bored wells (median age = 24 years) were older than drilled wells (median age = 19 years). Bored wells were shallower (mean depth = 18 m) compared to drilled wells (mean depth = 79 m). We found coliform bacteria in 329 samples, including 290 of 1091 drilled wells and 39 of 72 bored wells. The model results showed bored wells were 4.76 times more likely to contain bacteria compared to drilled wells. We found that the likelihood of coliform bacteria significantly increased with well age, suggesting that those constructed before well standards were enforced in 1989 may be at a higher risk. We found no significant association between poorly rated soils for a leachfield, well depth, parcel size and the likelihood of having coliform in wells. These findings can be leveraged to determine areas of concern to encourage well users to take action to reduce their risk of drinking possible pathogens in well water.