First of all: Where in your system was the sample taken? At the well? At a tank? At a faucet?
The answer to this question is important for the next steps.
Be aware that high lead content can also be an issue for plant watering and even showering.
If the sample has been taken at a endpoint (faucet) I would try to get another sample at the well directly. If you are “lucky” the acidity of the water is the reason lead is brought into your system from a section of your transport system. In that case replacing the transport layer (basically: Get new pipes) is the best approach - while it’s not cheap it is also not as expensive as filtering (or dealing with the health issues from lead, especially in the US).
If the well shows the same values you are screwed. There are basically two scenarios then: Your well installation itself is the problem - this is in theory “fixable” but expensive, but you might accidentally even poisoning your neighbours then. (The way to find out if it’s your installation is either with specialised equipment or, for some confirmation, get a sample from a neighbour who ideally life upstream from you)
If it’s not your well installation then it’s the well itself…and then you really really need a more extensive analysis: Lead in a ground water deposit is somewhat rare and often a indication something else is problematic - both because geologically lead is often next to other nasties, but also because human caused pollution with lead often goes with the real nasty stuff like arsenic,etc. And you really would want to find these. Then shit sadly becomes really expensive.
I have zero knowledge in this area, but would a full distillation system make this water potable? I did a quick google search and found systems claiming 12 gallons of distilled water per day for around $3k. I imagine there are also larger capacity systems that exist at some pricepoint.
Often reverse osmosis works better - and distillation systems require a lot of upkeep and energy costs. So there is that. And of course they only help if it’s not their transport system.
Yikes
Best reply
The simple answer is don’t drink the water: the heavy metal content (particularly lead) is many times higher than you want.
If you go down the filtering route make sure that your filters are accessible enough that changing them isn’t a chore and set reminders so that you always change the filter. It won’t be often enough that you’ll build up a habit for changing them and you really want safe drinking water.
Not an expert but I do have a well. You definitively don’t want to be drinking more lead than the EPA limit. I would get a filtration system installed ASAP and not drink from that well until it is installed, and especially don’t let children drink the leaded water because they are more susceptible to brain damage. If anyone has been drinking this water it would be a good idea to get tested for lead exposure ASAP.
Do you think all the neighbors filter like this, or are their wells avoiding this problem somehow?
Where was the sample taken? Could there be lead in the lines from the well to that sample point?
Worth looking into, for sure
First of all, don’t drink that stuff, and don’t water your plants with it.
Loads of metals (Lead!) and still acidic. Not good. What is the source of the acidity? CO2? Acidity leads to metals getting dissolved, so this might the the point where to look.
Have a look at https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/national-primary-drinking-water-regulations - This does not sound good for your case.
Your worst problem is definitely the lead. Look at https://www.epa.gov/lead/will-my-filter-remove-lead for more information.
AND: Download the information from EPA - you’ll never know how long they will still be available under the current administration.
We’ll probably be required to drink leaded water soon, because it’s somehow good for corporate profits.
Unleaded costs extra.
Whole home water filters is what you want. Work with a filter company to figure out what you need.
Your neighbor might have different test results. My parents moved their we’ll 50 ft after it got struck by lightning and the water was very different.
I also refill filtered water for drinking. 5gal jugs, has a dispenser with both hot and cold. I do u-haul style water, not a well. It’s from the city but I prefer the taste of the filtered water.
Whole home water filters is what you want.
My well water had arsenic in it and I installed a filter only on the cold water line to the kitchen sink. I only drank that water and unfiltered water was fine for everything else. Something like that could be much cheaper for OP.
