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What are the effects of iron bacteria in groundwater?
Iron Bacteria are a natural part of the environment in most parts of the world. Common effects in water
are a reddish-brown color, stained laundry, and poor tasting coffee.
In addition, these organisms form rust-colored deposits and often, a brown slime that builds up on well
screens, pipes, and plumbing fixtures.
What causes red (iron) water?
Red water is a common problem that has plagued many groundwater systems over the years.
Red water is created by bacteria which, when combined with oxygen, convert metals from soluble to insoluble,
thus creating color, stain, taste and odor problems.
These colony-forming bacteria build a polysaccharide sheath (protective envelope) around the colonies to
protect them from treatment chemicals fed into the system. Chemicals such as chlorine and potassium
permanganate do not penetrate the sheaths unless they are fed at extremely high dosages; thus making
treatment not feasible or the water undrinkable.
Sequestering chemicals such as lime and alum are intended to “settle out” the iron in the
water, but do not address the reproduction of bacteria in the total water processing system; and therefore,
become less and less effective over time. Evidence of this is seen in ever increasing filter back-wash time
and frequency. This results in increased, finished water loss during actual back-wash cycles.
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