John’s first try at dowsing.

The well-drilling contractor sitting on our veranda burst into laughter.
I’d just told him how we learned our well water was contaminated. For a sidebar to an article on chemicals by Dian Cohen in the current Townships Sun, we were researching how to test well water for bacteria, pesticides, and PFAS compounds.

Why not test our own well water, and report on it?
We got a test kit from Eurofins Environex in Sherbrooke for $99. A sterile bottle for microbiological analysis and an ice pack came in a nifty insulated bag. (We couldn’t afford the test for glyphosate at $270. Not being a business, nor could we test for PFAS compounds, those “forever chemicals.”)
The test results came back a day after the magazine went to print.

Moderately bad news: 22 coliform bacteria per 100 mL of water, a bit more than twice the criterion of 10 maximum. Dr. Google told us these bacteria are not likely to cause illness, but their presence indicates that other pathogens could be in the water.

Sighing in relief at the absence of E. coli, we began following the three-step instructions: evaluate the source of potential contamination, disinfect our well, and then test the water again.

Yikes. Investigation of our very old surface well involved crawling under the veranda and lifting off a wooden lid. Below it was a mouldy wooden frame. A rodent had apparently chewed through it about three feet down. Lower down, the sides of the well seemed to have collapsed in, and the surface was covered by dirt.

The test results did not advise us to boil our water, but eye-balling our water supply did! The certificate of analysis did not tell us to put in a new well, but logic did. This time, an artesian well, drilled, not dug. One that goes down to bedrock.

So, there we were, sitting down with the first of three contractors, exploring the ins and outs of an astonishingly complex project, starting with finding the best spot to drill. The legal parameters did not leave us much choice: at least 100 feet from a farm field, an unsealed septic tank, or drain field, and 50 feet from a sealed septic tank. The eligible area near our house was about 6 by 12 feet.

Next, out came the dowsing rods. On this topic, Wikipedia is categorical: “Scientific evidence shows that dowsing is no more effective than random chance. It is therefore regarded as a pseudoscience.” Yet there we were, identifying a spot near our Rhododendron bush where the copper rods whispered the likelihood of a water vein deep below.

The exact cost of drilling depends on the depth of that vein. Maybe $15,000?
So that is the dearest little piece of writing I’ve ever done! No wonder the contractor had such a good laugh at our expense.

Rachel Garber writes from her home in the old hamlet of Maple Leaf, in Newport. (rawrites@gmail.com)