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Common Ground News

Is it safe to drink water from a borehole?

Author

Matthew Cannon

Updated on March 09, 2026

Is it safe to drink water from a borehole?

Generally, water from boreholes is already of high quality because it has been filtered through many layers of chalk or sand, so it only needs disinfection with chlorine. On the whole borehole water is safe to drink; however, it could possibly contain dissolved minerals or contamination.

Thereof, can borehole water make you sick?

Q: How do I know if my borehole or rain water is safe to drink? A: Untreated water contains various invisible microbes such as bacteria‚ viruses and protozoans. These harmful microbes can cause diseases as well as diarrhoea and vomiting.

Likewise, how can borehole water be contaminated? The main source of borehole contamination is from leaking septic and fuel tanks and from animals kept close to the borehole location. The Environment Agency also has two related publications called “Water Supply Borehole Construction and Headworks – Guide to Good Practice” and “Groundwater Source Protection Zones”.

Consequently, is borehole water safe for drinking?

Groundwater from non-polluted areas is generally safe for domestic purposes - to drink, prepare food, wash clothes, bath and water the garden.

What can borehole water be used for?

Water boreholes can help reduce the demand placed on the municipal supply by agricultural projects and related farming activities, as well as construction projects. Borehole water can be used for irrigation, maintaining parks and gardens, and even for watering livestock.

How do I make my borehole water clear?

The only effective way to prevent such infections is by a series of filters, then Reverse Osmosis (RO), then chemically treating the water. As a safeguard, ultra-violet light treatment is also recommended. When added up, the effort and costs of such treatment put the viability of boreholes into question.

How long does borehole water last?

A borehole is an asset that should last 50-80 years, with very low maintenance costs in the first 10-15 years. But for this to happen, you need to make the right decisions at the start of the process and invest wisely for long-term returns.

Do boreholes dry up?

Each borehole will have its own characteristics. Boreholes that are only metres apart can have completely different water levels and delivery capabilities. But, if you and your neighbour are pumping from the same aquifer, over pumping your hole could cause their hole to dry up.

Can you wash clothes with borehole water?

If you're lucky enough to have a borehole or well point on your property, you can usually use the water to prepare food, wash clothes, wash yourself and water the garden.

Why is borehole water brown?

When exposed to air in the pressure tank or atmosphere, the water turns cloudy and a reddish brown substance begins to form. This sediment is the oxidized or ferric form of iron that will not dissolve in water. While not hazardous to health, iron is considered a secondary or aesthetic contaminant.

How do I know my tap water is safe?

Water that's safe to drink should ideally be clear with no odor or funny taste. If your tap water tastes metallic, smells fishy, or comes out cloudy, it could signal the presence of unsafe contaminants.

Is borehole water hard or soft?

The hardness of local water supplies depends on the source of water. Water in streams flowing over volcanic (igneous) rocks will be soft, while water from boreholes drilled into porous rock is normally very hard.

Can you bath in borehole water?

Bore water is suitable for domestic non-potable uses such as toilet flushing, car and clothes washing as well as wetting of grass, gardens and even crops. Bore water is a terrific way of decreasing your municipal water usage from a tap – limiting that use to cooking, drinking and bathing.

Do you pay for borehole water?

Although in most cases a municipality will not charge you anything for the water drawn from a borehole, there are considerable costs associated with the sinking of the borehole. However, in both cases, you need to notify the municipality of the fact that you draw water from your borehole.

How often should borehole water be tested?

Private well water should be tested a minimum of once per year. Drinking water supplies obtained from shallow wells and surface water sources should be tested more frequently (i.e. seasonally), as they are more susceptible to contamination. It is important to test your drinking water at the tap and at the source.

What is the pH of borehole water?

pH of borehole water is lower than other sources, with private borehole water having mean pH of 4.74 and public borehole water having a pH of approximately 5.1.

Why is borehole water safer than well water?

Generally, water from boreholes is already of high quality because it has been filtered through many layers of chalk or sand, so it only needs disinfection with chlorine. On the whole borehole water is safe to drink; however, it could possibly contain dissolved minerals or contamination.

How deep should a borehole be?

Drilling a borehole for household use will usually range from about 100 feet to 500 feet deep, but when drilling a new borehole for your home or business, the depth of the well depends on the geology and underground water levels of the area.

How do you treat a borehole?

Treatment often includes aeration and the removal of impurities such as iron, manganese and hydrogen sulphide. Detailed analysis of the water characteristics from the well aids selection of the most appropriate filtration system to produce the highest quality potable water.

How do you treat salty borehole water?

Desalination of water is the process of removing soluble salts from water to make it suitable for drinking, irrigation, or industrial uses. The principal methods used for desalination include distillation, electro dialysis, ion exchange, and reverse osmosis.

What is a water borehole?

A water borehole is an excellent way to access pure and natural underground water. A borehole is a small open, narrow shaft that is drilled vertically or horizontally into the ground to provide access to the water table below.

Where does borehole water come from?

Borehole Water comes from rain and rivers leaks through layers of rock from underground areas. Water layers of rock or clay separate and restrict underground water bodies at different depths, in different areas. These areas are called aquifers.

Can I use borehole water to wash my car?

Stay away from ground water – Driving at speed through puddles will not keep your car clean! This includes borehole water in certain areas where the water is more alkaline/acidic and could cause damage to your car's paintwork.

What is the difference between a well and a borehole?

Basically how we define the difference is: typically a borehole is drilled by machine and is relatively small in diameter. A well is usually sunk by hand and is relatively large in diameter.

How do you test a borehole yield?

How do we test? Test pumping involves pumping a borehole at a selected rate and logging the volume in the pumping well, in addition to your local observation wells at particular periods of time. Anytime these specifications are replaced in suitable flow equations; specific hydraulic variables can be determined.

What is a borehole PDF?

Boreholes for extracting water consist essentially of a vertically drilled shaft, a strong lining (casing) to prevent collapse of the walls, which includes a means of allowing clean water to enter the borehole space (screen), surface protection, and a means of extracting water.

Is groundwater good to drink?

It is often believed that groundwater and well water is safe to drink because it flows underground and doesn't come in contact with the surface contaminants. Even though groundwater is deemed safe to drink, you must have it tested for pollutants and chemicals.

How does water get into wells and boreholes?

Most wells do not get their water from underground rivers, but instead get the water from aquifers. Aquifers are layers of rock and soil with water flowing through their small pores. New water, such as from rain or melting snow, drips down into the ground through the pores and cracks in the rocks and soil.

Can I drill a borehole in my garden?

Anyone can have a borehole in their garden, but if you want to take more than 20 cubic metres (4,000 gallons) of water per day from an underground source you have to apply for a abstraction licence. "We are all allowed a borehole but is not practical for everyone," says a EA spokeswoman.

How do you sink a borehole?

The Water Borehole Drilling Process In 4 Steps
  1. Step 1 – Hydro-geologists site the borehole. The very first thing that needs to be determined is where the water is, and how we're going to get to it.
  2. Step 2 – Drilling and Construction.
  3. Step 3 – Determining the yield of the borehole.
  4. Step 4 – Pumping and piping the borehole.

How do you drill a borehole manually?

A borehole drilling string is driven manually and gradually into the ground using a lever arm and water is circulated to bring the cuttings produced by the drilling tool up to the surface. The drilling string is operated manually from the top downwards using a sort of pole to be able to raise it again.

What can boreholes tell us?

A borehole record is a written description of the material that comes out of the ground as a result of drilling a bore. They provide site-specific information that can help determine the geology and nature of the ground and can help identify any apparent or potential hazards.

How long does borehole drilling take?

How long does it take to drill a borehole? The length of time required to drill a borehole depends on the required depth of the borehole as well as the underlying geology of the site. A general guideline is 1 to 2 days for the completion of the drilling process.

What is the purpose of a borehole?

A borehole may be constructed for many different purposes, including the extraction of water, other liquids (such as petroleum) or gases (such as natural gas), as part of a geotechnical investigation, environmental site assessment, mineral exploration, temperature measurement, as a pilot hole for installing piers or

Is a borehole worth it?

Although getting one is costly, the long-term benefits of having a borehole are worth it, especially if you want to have a beautiful green garden, swim in good, fresh water, and not having to worry about your municipal water bill. It is likely that you may be required to register your 'borehole water usage'.

How deep can you drill for water?

Drilling a Water Well for household use will usually range from about 100 feet to 500 feet deep, but When drilling a new well for your home or business, the depth of the well depends on the geology and underground water levels of the area.

Can I use borehole water in my washing machine?

Regular washing machines can use up to 50 litres of valuable municipal drinking water per cycle. On a mission to save the planet "one load at a time", Cape Town laundromat Green Planet Laundry makes use of purified borehole water instead of the city's municipal water supply.

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