What to Do If There’s a Dead Animal in Your Well

If you suspect there’s a dead animal in your well, it’s important to act quickly. This guide explains how private well owners should respond to concerns over a dead animal, how to test your water, and what steps are commonly recommended to restore water quality.

Table of Contents:

• How Do Animals Get Into Wells
• How Do You Test for Contamination
• Frequently Asked Questions

How Do Animals Get Into Wells?

Small animals typically enter private wells through damaged caps or surface openings. However, some small animals can enter wells without obvious signs of damage, particularly in older systems or wells with compromised seals.

Animals typically enter private wells through physical openings or failures, including:

• Missing, loose, or damaged well caps
• Cracks in the well casing
• Surface water intrusion after heavy rain or flooding
  

Rodents, birds, frogs, snakes, and other small animals are the most common. Once inside, they are often unable to escape, and their decomposition can introduce harmful bacteria into your water supply. 

How to Tell if An Animal Has Died In Your Well 

Most well owners suspect there is a problem because of changes to water quality, not because an animal is seen. Common signs of a dead animal in your well include:

• Sudden foul or musty odors
• Unusual or unpleasant taste
• Changes to the color of your water
• Sediment or debris appearing in sinks or toilets
• Changes to water pressure and flow

However, in some cases, there may be no noticeable changes to your water system. Bacterial contamination can be present even if the water looks or even smells normal. This is why certified laboratory water testing is highly recommended.

How Do You Test Your Well for Contamination

When an animal decomposes in a well, bacterial growth skyrockets. Testing your well water for coliform bacteria will detect total coliform and E. coli bacteria, key indicators that your well water has been contaminated. These are not necessarily indicative of a dead animal specifically, but they are important indicators of general contamination.

Why This Test:

This test is recommended for private well owners who:

• Suspect a dead animal may have entered their well
• Notice sudden changes in water odor, taste, or clarity
• Are planning to disinfect their well using shock chlorination
• Want confirmation that their water is safe before returning it to use

Testing is strongly recommended both before and after disinfection to verify whether contamination is present and whether corrective action was effective.

Can You Use DIY Test Strips to Detect Contamination?

DIY test strips cannot reliably detect bacterial contamination. There are DIY culture-based test kits that can detect contamination, but these are typically presence/absence assays. When it comes to the water supply for your household and the potential risks posed by decomposition of organic matter, a laboratory analysis is the safest bet and the recommended approach for private well owners. Laboratory analyses can accurately quantify bacterial concentrations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are signs there may be a dead animal in my well?

Common indicators include unpleasant odors, unusual taste, cloudy water, debris appearing in plumbing fixtures, or changes in water pressure. These signs often prompt well owners to investigate further.

Will my water smell or taste different?

Possibly. Decomposition typically causes noticeable changes in smell or taste, prompting well owners to test for bacterial contamination. However, bacterial contamination can also be present even if the water looks or smells normal. 

Can I test for bacteria with DIY strips?

No. Test strips are not ideal for detecting bacteria like coliform or E. coli.

What should I do after testing confirms contamination?

After safely removing the animal carcass, we recommend shock chlorination, a process used to disinfect private wells. Check out the following guide for details: Shock Chlorination Guide for Private Wells (although contacting a professional is not a bad idea).

Need Help? Contact Us!

Our team of water quality experts are always standing by and happy to help with any of your water testing needs.