At Teckna Group, we offer a complete borehole drilling service. We always aim to provide a complete package for our customers, whatever their requirements may be. This ranges from water borehole prognosis to monitoring boreholes after completion, ensuring that each customer is entirely satisfied with our services.
Teckna Group guarantees national coverage with all of our drilling services, allowing us to assist as many people as possible throughout the UK. We can also drill to various depths and sizes while complying with all UK guidelines.
An important element of water borehole drilling that should never be overlooked is proper water filtration. Depending on the surroundings, groundwater may contain harmful contaminants that must be removed and/or neutralised.
Borehole Water Filtration
Following borehole installation, the water drawn can be used for a range of purposes. However, if it’s intended for human or animal consumption, then the water must be treated and filtered in line with national drinking water standards.
Borehole water quality is a prominent concern in our field, as fresh and clean water is crucial for health and hygiene reasons. The necessary treatment and filtration systems will vary depending on the geology of the area, which affects the composition of the water.
As the minimum standard, water boreholes should be fitted with water well filtration including a UV (Ultra Violet) filter. The UV filter should eliminate any microorganisms that may have gotten through the prior particle filter, which traps sediment.
In order to design the appropriate borehole filtration system, samples of the water must be sent for testing. These laboratory tests will reveal exactly what is in the water, which then lets us know which measures must be taken to filter the water effectively.
Borehole Water Filters
There are many borehole water filtration methods on the market, but UV sterilisation is a must. It’s a chemical-free way of destroying the harmful micro-organisms in your borehole water supply, making it a much safer and more environmentally friendly alternative to chlorination.
With UV disinfection, nothing is added to the water, so it doesn’t affect the taste, smell, or colour. However, while UV filters effectively eliminate microbiological contamination, they don’t remove other contaminants like minerals or sediment, nor can they correct the pH balance of the water.
For this reason, UV water filters are often combined with other filters for maximum purification. For example, pre-filters can trap sediment particles, activated carbon filters can remove chlorine and improve the water’s taste, while reverse osmosis systems can help to remove metals and fluoride.
The combination of filters and specific borehole water filtration system you need depends on the composition of your borehole water, which will require professional laboratory analysis first. It also depends on the water’s flow rate, your usage level, and electrical connections and consumption.
Contact Teckna Group
The high-quality solution of our borehole water filter service ensures that you can safely provide your home and garden with clean water in a self-sufficient and cost-effective way. Our extensive experience in the field of borehole water filtration means that there is no better team to call upon than Teckna Group for such services.
If you’re searching for industry experts who will get the job done to the highest standards, then contact us to fulfil all of your borehole water filter needs. Simply submit your details via the contact form to the left of this page, selecting your area of interest from the drop-down menu.
Alternatively, you can give us a call on 01257 421 700 to discuss your needs on the phone between 8.30am and 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. You can also send an email to enquiries@tecknagroup.co.uk and our helpful team will respond to your queries as soon as possible.
Water Borehole Filtration FAQs
How does UV water filtration work?
By the time mains water reaches your home or commercial building, it will have already been treated and filtered to make it safe for use. When you draw a private water supply from a borehole, you must take the proper measures yourself to ensure the water is drinkable.
Physical filters can trap larger particles to keep bits of sediment and rock out of the water, but bacteria and other microbes and pathogens can be small enough to get through. This is where you’ll need to apply a bacteria-eliminating filter – and UV is the ideal chemical-free solution.
UV water treatment uses Ultra Violet light to deactivate waterborne microorganisms. This safely disinfects the water with no toxic chemicals involved, eliminating odours without affecting the colour or pH level. This environmentally-friendly method can effectively kill off any bacteria, viruses, mould spores, protozoa, algae, or yeast that may be lurking in the groundwater.
Why does borehole water need to be filtered?
As we’ve discussed, untreated natural water drawn up from deep in the ground can contain any number of microorganisms, which can make you ill if ingested. Not only is there likely to be bits of earth and rock that must be physically filtered out, but there may potentially be a range of microbes and minerals that must be eliminated and balanced, as well.
This is why it’s vital to get a professional assessment of the local geology before attempting to drill a water borehole. If there are cattle grazing, waste disposal facilities, or pesticide-treated crops in the vicinity, then the groundwater may be contaminated with harmful bacteria and chemicals. There are other possible issues with borehole water to consider, too, including:
- pH level (acidic or alkaline)
- High iron and manganese
- Nitrates
- Aluminium
- Arsenic
- Lead
- Tannins
- Organic matter (e.g. dead bugs)
- Unpleasant odour or colour
- Hardness (may require water softening)
Water testing will determine what is in your borehole water and what must be done to make it safe to use. Even with a particle filter to remove sediment and organic matter, UV sterilisation is still necessary to make sure that any living microorganisms are destroyed. Only then will your water be safe to drink and cook with, though unfiltered water may be used in the garden.
What are the regulations for water supply quality?
In the UK, water quality and usage is controlled via the Private Water Supplies Regulations 2016 and Amendments 2018. Any water supply which isn’t provided by a mains water company is considered a private supply – including water boreholes and wells. Local authorities will be required to perform risk assessments on private supplies under these regulations and the Water Industry Act 1991.
This isn’t necessary for single domestic dwellings unless you request it. Small supplies, for fewer than 50 people for domestic use, must be sampled and tested at least once every 5 years to ensure they meet drinking water standards. Large supplies, for more than 50 people for domestic or commercial purposes, require annual sampling and assessment.
Water wholesomeness standards state that safe and clean private water supplies must:
- Not contain microorganisms, parasites, or any other substance that poses a risk to health
- Uphold the formula of “[nitrate]/50 + [nitrite]/3 ≤ 1” for nitrate and nitrite concentrations
- Not contain concentrations of preparatory substances that constitute a danger to health
- Maintain disinfection processes effectively while keeping by-products as low as possible
These regulations do not apply to water that is used for washing surfaces that do not affect a final product for consumption. The legislation specifies cleaning storage vessels as part of dairy farming as an example of this exclusion. Any water intended for drinking, washing food, or cooking must adhere to the regulations for private water supply quality and management.
What are the health risks of unfiltered groundwater?
As you probably know, unfiltered groundwater is not safe to drink or use for cooking – and this includes untreated borehole water. It’s generally safe for uses such as bathing, washing items like dishes and clothes, and watering plants, but how can you be sure without knowing the full chemical composition of the water?
Not only can high levels of minerals and microbes make the water taste and smell unpleasant, but it also has the potential to make you seriously ill. Consuming untreated groundwater can cause milder digestive problems (e.g. gastroenteritis), or even life-threatening conditions like dysentery, cholera, and methemoglobinemia. It can also cause damage to major organs such as the heart, liver, kidneys, and pancreas.
This may seem extreme, but it’s not worth the risk of getting sick in any way from drinking unsafe water. You may not be able to tell that borehole water is contaminated if the offending elements are invisible to the eye and have no taste or odour, so don’t drink it before a sample analysis.
In some cases, groundwater pollution and high concentrations of minerals can be immediately obvious. Some minerals cause discolouration, stains, and limescale, while leaked chemicals or sewage will have an odour and may cause irritation to the skin and eyes. It may also cause plants and crops to wilt or suppress their growth, and cause livestock to become ill if they drink it.
How to protect borehole water from contamination?
If you’re planning to drill a water borehole, it’s important to assess the location and the quality and quantity of groundwater available.
There are some obvious steps that you’ll need to take to prevent contamination of your borehole water, in addition to installing appropriate borehole water filters:
- Hire a licensed professional like Teckna Group to assess your site and construct water boreholes away from likely contamination sources
- Ensure that any drainage or wastewater systems are directed a sufficient distance away from the borehole water supply
- Use fencing to prevent livestock or other animals from accessing the area within 50m
- Avoid using pesticides on the ground and clean up any chemical spills immediately
- Recycle/dispose of waste (including metals, oils, batteries, chemicals, and their containers) offsite at approved facilities
Even after treating and filtering your borehole water, you should still have the filtering system professionally serviced at least once a year.
If you suspect that your water has been contaminated, do not continue using it or attempt to repair the system yourself – always call in experts like the Teckna Group team.
