this post was submitted on 16 Mar 2025
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First of all: Where in your system was the sample taken? At the well? At a tank? At a faucet?
The answer to this question is important for the next steps.
Be aware that high lead content can also be an issue for plant watering and even showering.
If the sample has been taken at a endpoint (faucet) I would try to get another sample at the well directly. If you are "lucky" the acidity of the water is the reason lead is brought into your system from a section of your transport system. In that case replacing the transport layer (basically: Get new pipes) is the best approach - while it's not cheap it is also not as expensive as filtering (or dealing with the health issues from lead, especially in the US).
If the well shows the same values you are screwed. There are basically two scenarios then: Your well installation itself is the problem - this is in theory "fixable" but expensive, but you might accidentally even poisoning your neighbours then. (The way to find out if it's your installation is either with specialised equipment or, for some confirmation, get a sample from a neighbour who ideally life upstream from you)
If it's not your well installation then it's the well itself...and then you really really need a more extensive analysis: Lead in a ground water deposit is somewhat rare and often a indication something else is problematic - both because geologically lead is often next to other nasties, but also because human caused pollution with lead often goes with the real nasty stuff like arsenic,etc. And you really would want to find these. Then shit sadly becomes really expensive.
I have zero knowledge in this area, but would a full distillation system make this water potable? I did a quick google search and found systems claiming 12 gallons of distilled water per day for around $3k. I imagine there are also larger capacity systems that exist at some pricepoint.
Often reverse osmosis works better - and distillation systems require a lot of upkeep and energy costs. So there is that. And of course they only help if it's not their transport system.
I don't think there's any volatile compounds of lead, which would be the risk. Obviously don't go off of just my guess, though. You wouldn't think osmium would produce a lot of volatiles, and yet it's frigging oxide is.
Of course, depending on where this is and how much water you use that might obviate the need for a well anyway. If you're distilling it all surface water or just straight up wastewater might work fine.
Yikes
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