Same aquifer, different water
The village pumps from the surficial aquifer through three well fields and 18 wells, then treats the water. A private well in the same area draws from the same shallow groundwater without that treatment. That is why a private well can show hardness, iron, color or sulfur that you never see from a Wellington Utilities tap.
Kinds of wells around Wellington
- Private drinking wells serving a home that is not on village water.
- Barn and outbuilding wells on larger properties.
- Irrigation wells for lawns and landscaping, never meant for drinking.
Your water bill tells you whether the house itself is on Wellington Utilities. If there is no village water bill, you are on a well.
What to test
The Florida Department of Health recommends testing private wells at least once a year for bacteria and nitrate, through a certified lab or your county health department, which provides sample kits. For choosing equipment, Jorge adds a screening for hardness, iron, pH, TDS and signs of hydrogen sulfide. Test again after flooding, well work or any change in taste, smell or color.
How a well system is built
- Iron and sulfur removal, often by oxidation and filtration.
- Softening where hardness is high.
- Carbon for taste and odor.
- Disinfection where bacteria are a concern; compare UV vs. RO for well water.
- Optional under-sink RO for drinking water.
Living Water configures its well water system from the well's test.
Irrigation wells
Irrigation water is untreated by design. It can stain walls and pool decks orange and smell of sulfur near sprinkler heads. That is a separate project from your drinking water. See orange stains and sulfur smell.
Maintenance on a well system
Well systems need regular care: media backwash, filter changes, salt for softening stages and periodic retesting. Ask for a written schedule. Retesting matters because shallow groundwater can change with rainfall and nearby activity, and a system tuned to last year's numbers may need adjusting.
Start with a test
Jorge screens the well, explains the results and tells you which lab tests to add. You get an itemized quote after the free test. Living Water offers financing through its financing partners; you apply with a credit application, and a co-applicant can apply with you. Call, text or WhatsApp (305) 793-5974.
https://www.wellingtonfl.gov/781/Water-Quality-Report
https://www.floridahealth.gov/community-environmental-public-health/public-health-laboratories/laboratory-services/environmental-laboratory-services/well-water-testing/
Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist