Is It Safe To Cook With Well Water?

Water quality is an increasingly hot-button topic, and with things like forever chemicals all around our kitchen, including in our pipes, it's no surprise that people are taking a closer look at their water source. Approaches like filters, reverse osmosis systems, and other measures to ensure cleaner water are trending, as people take matters into their own hands, glasses, and pots.

Though a large percentage of people rely on city or tap water, which is managed by local entities, plenty also get their water straight from the ground via wells — but how does this rank in terms of safety? Is it safe to cook with or for that matter, drink? Luckily, in the ever-complex world of water and water filtration options, well water in most cases remains relatively straightforward and indeed, safe. While wells vary — there are privately maintained ones, shared ones, etc. — generally speaking, you can rest easy about its cleanliness, especially if your cooking involves boiling the water, which would kill off most pathogenic bacteria (per Florida Department of Health).

The important caveat to this general statement of wells being safe is that well water needs testing to ensure its safety. Since no government entity is managing it, it rests on the well owner, meaning usually the homeowner, to pay to have regular testing done to check for heavy metals, contaminants, and harmful bacteria. These tests can (and should) be obtained from your county or state health department or other licensed laboratories in your area (per USGS). The CDC explains that these tests will reveal if there's anything harmful in your water supply and should be done regularly especially if your well is near a construction zone, has recently had repairs done to it, or has been in a flooded area (per University of Nebraska-Lincoln). If the tests reveal your well water is safe, cook with it to your heart's content! 

While considering the cleanliness of your well water, you may also want to think about its taste. Even clean water sources can affect flavor. You might not think twice when boiling water for pasta but for something like coffee, which is impacted by the type of water you're brewing it with, the quality of your water makes a noticeable difference. Testing can help identify the source of any unpleasant tastes, allowing you to address and remove them as needed.