Iron in well water can be a real problem. Not for health reasons, but for aesthetic reasons. Any Iron over about 0.30 mg/l will cause staining of clothing and fixtures and cause the water to have a metallic taste, not unlike sucking on a nail would taste.

For these reasons, it is always desirable to reduce or eliminate the Iron content in the water. This can be accomplished in two ways: Oxidation or Ion Exchange. Oxidation is the chief means of Iron removal. It basically causes the Iron in the water to 'rust' and then it is held in the filter until it is backwashed out. Ion exchange is the secondary method, whereby the Iron is exchanged with sodium in a water softener. Using a water softener is not generally the best way to deal with the problem, but on low flow wells and moderate amounts of Iron, it is an acceptable method.

Iron can be found in Lane county in the Veneta / Elmira area, as well as Creswell / Cottage Grove and south Lane county sporadically.

Office: 541-484-9776