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Likesdirt t1_j8ad24g wrote

Let it refill and repeat the pump down. Don't fill it with a water truck.

The well just isn't producing much compared to its volume. Might be ok, but it's a hint to think about the future.

Was water running in from the surface? Is the well house nice and tight? Rodent proof ?E coli almost always gets into wells from the surface, and there's nothing for it to eat down there. Frankly it's an indicator that poop got in the well somewhat recently (not years ago).

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ejpierle t1_j8a9v0w wrote

Bleach denatures over time. If you do nothing it will eventually be fine. If you need to speed it up up for drinking, boiling it releases the chlorine. Also, you can do a vitamin C dechlorination, but there's math involved, so look it up.

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cus2time t1_j8ac93a wrote

If you used chlorine then you might neutralise it with H2O2. In my country you get both the bleach and the H2O2 at pharmacies along with information on how to use them. What they gave us was same amount H2O2 as chlorine... but there might be different concentrations available. Good luck!

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Rekrational t1_j8b2pzf wrote

Yep, I've done a lot of environmental sampling of wells, which includes pumping them down at times. Basically, your well is fine, your just pumping it down more quickly than it refills. You'll probably find that it's hard to completely pump the well dry, but it's possible. I'd just give it 12 hrs and check it, you should be significantly diluted by then. If not, repeat the process.

As stated, the e coli is a sign that something isn't right, and usually with a hand dug well there is surface water intrusion causing the issue.

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nondescriptzombie t1_j8a7wy7 wrote

Where I am they're doing commercial farming, and many people are finding their wells no longer hit the aquifer because of how low it now is. Soon we're going to have no groundwater at all, but at least they'll have alfalfa and hay for their horses....

To your question, the bleach will eventually break down into Chlorine gas, sodium ions, and water. How much did you add?

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dummheit03 t1_j8bd4gl wrote

Bleach disappears fairly quickly. Leave a jug of tap water in the frig overnight and the chlorine will be gone in the morning. Municipalities actually have to inject extra chlorine to water lines that run too far from the wwtp so there is still some chlorine at the tap. There has to be around 2 or 3 ppm chlorine all the way to the customer. Your well will be fine in a day or you can buy some sodium thiosulfate to neutralize the bleach.

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stinking_badgers t1_j8blr1k wrote

This may not be a solution for you, but after our well was shocked and still tested positive for E. coli, we opted for a UV filter that zaps the water continuously as it passes through the system. Seems to work great and I just have to replace the bulb once a year.

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