I don't have a well, but my sister does. We live in a community of about 2500 (a one-signal-light town) that is basically a bedroom community surrounded by farms. There isn't much intensive farming (mostly the Mennonites, who are organic. Most of the farmers graze a few cattle or just grow nutritionally-deficient native grass and cut/sell it for hay. I doubt that they see any need for much in the way of chemical fertilizers, because the grass grows without it. No real industry except fading logging.

We have our own local water association, and they have a full test every year and send out the results with the water bill. It looks pretty good.

There is a farmer in the next town who is probably the major polluter, with a high-density cow/calf operation. You can smell his place from a mile away, and he's always getting fined for something. I wonder about the water quality around him. I read of a livery stable in MA that was in business for 60 yrs (up to about 1930), and the place is still contaminating the local water supply after 70 yrs.

It is because of ETS that I think about well water (and I just watched Erin Brockovich again). People ask all these questions about water filters, purifiers, how to pump w/o grid electricity, and how much bleach to add to tap water, but it seems that they have no interest in checking their own most-local source of water, except for that basic test which is probably just for coliform bacteria.

In other areas of heavy chemical farming, high-density feedlots, and industrial polluting, I am surprised that people are so unconcerned about their source of water.

Sue