Retrofitting Boreholes Contaminated with Iron in Rural Uganda

Description:

This report describes a remedy for iron contamination employed at 5 wells. The remedy involved disinfecting the wells with chlorine and replacing iron pump components with plastic and stainless steel.
Iron concentrations in the wells were less than 1 mg/L when the wells were drilled but ranged from 2.5 to 40 mg/L prior to the remedy. After the remedy was applied, the total iron concentrations returned to levels below 1 mg/L.
The presence of iron related bacteria was measured in all of these wells using Biological Activity Reaction Tests. Although IRB are still present in all the wells, the dissolved iron concentrations remain less than 1 mg/L. This remedy is practical for rural areas because the work can be performed with only hand tools and costs less than US $850. Because the source of iron contamination is removed in this approach, substantial follow-up maintenance is not necessary.

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Bibliographical Information:

Fader, C. (2011) Retrofitting Boreholes Contaminated with Iron in Rural Uganda. , Michigan Technological University

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