First, let’s clarify one point. There is no such thing as organic water. In fact, water is simply good old H2O, a molecule composed of a single hydrogen atom and two oxygen atoms. Since no carbon atoms exist in this molecule, water is, by definition, inorganic. Any company that markets its water as organic is … well, let’s call it misleading.
It’s well known that organic farming is a very strict specialty and practitioners must meet many exacting requirements in order to earn and maintain an organic certification. Especially during the certification process itself, even a small thing can disqualify a grower, and that does include the quality of the water that you use. So, while there’s no such thing as “organic water,” it’s necessary to examine the source of the water, how to treat it, and how to store and handle it. Errors at any stage could render it non-potable and risk your organic certification.
Municipal Tap Water and Treated Wastewater
Tap water meets the standards of the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Act, so it is considered safe to use for organic purposes. Some organic farmers may even use treated wastewater from conventional farms, local industries, municipal stormwater, and more. The key point here is that the water has been treated using a variety of methods until it meets EPA requirements for potable water. No matter the source, potable water is considered safe for drinking and therefore acceptable for use in organic farming.
Natural Water Sources
Common natural sources for water in organic farming are spring water, well water, surface water and rainwater. The term natural is appealing as a marketing term, particularly for the sector that includes organic products, but today, “natural” doesn’t really carry the same guarantees that it used to. Even rainwater and spring water are likely to have contaminants that require treatment before they can be considered potable.
Regardless of the source, water that has not been tested and certified as potable may have some important characteristics that can directly damage your plants. A low pH, usually a result of acid rain, can harm or even kill tender plants.
Aquifers and Groundwater
Every natural source of water draws from the local water table, which is the underground boundary between the relatively dry soil surface and the depth where the soil is saturated. In this zone of saturation, water can travel easily over great distances in pores and fissures of rock and can gather in underground lakes or rivers known as aquifers.
Since water can travel underground over large distances, contamination or pollution in one location can and will affect water drawn from a source even hundreds of miles away. Even if farmland is far from any city or industrial activities, water drawn from surface sources or even directly from underground cannot be assumed to be safe and unpolluted. Unwanted minerals, toxic chemicals, organic pollutants and even harmful microbes can potentially be found in any aquifer that feeds a natural water source.
Natural Springs
Water bubbling to the surface from underground sources evokes images of an almost magically pure form of water, unpolluted and unaffected by human activities. Sellers of expensive bottled drinks like to emphasize the purity of their water, drawn directly from “natural springs” located in some pristine mountain wilderness.
Springs can be found virtually everywhere, and the quality of the water that feeds them varies as well. Thermal springs near areas of volcanic activity may contain high levels of dissolved minerals such as iron, and sulfur. There are thermal springs deep in the oceans along mid-ocean rifts, and the famous hot springs in Yellowstone National Park form a deadly combination of boiling hot acid. Clearly, just because a spring is natural, it cannot be assumed to be healthy to drink.
Far from magical, natural springs appear whenever an underground aquifer is filled to the point of overflowing. The pressure of the accumulating water pushes water through cracks where it escapes to the surface. Since the ultimate source is the aquifer, any water quality concerns in the surrounding water table will, in turn, affect water drawn from the spring.
Well Water
Well water is commonly assumed to be safe to drink, but if the water table it draws from has been compromised, it can contain microorganisms and chemicals that cause illness. Public or community wells that are regularly tested can be used for organic farming if they’re certified as meeting EPA standards for potable water. In the case of private wells, however, it’s up to the owner to ensure the water meets applicable standards. Even wells that have been recently tested may become unsafe if toxic chemicals or organic wastes are released into groundwater supplies and infiltrate the aquifer from which the well draws. Regular testing of private wells is required, and it’s necessary to be particularly alert to changes in flavor, color or odor of your well water.
Surface Water
In places where the ground meets or is below the water table, you’ll typically find rivers, ponds, wetlands, and other surface water. It’s important to remember that, while surface water draws from the same aquifers that supply your well and local springs, it’s also exposed to many more opportunities for contamination, and relying on these sources over the long term may not be your best choice. Rivers, ponds and lakes are all vulnerable to runoff from agriculture, full of chemicals and fertilizers; animal wastes that may carry parasites, viruses and dangerous bacteria; and illegally dumped toxic substances. Aside from the direct risks from toxins and dangerous microorganisms, these pollution sources often trigger algae blooms, including deadly cyanobacteria, even in a brook that tested at pristine levels just last week.
Rainwater
Rainwater is romanticized as pure, safe to drink and wonderful for washing your hair. But even rain and other forms of precipitation can pick up contaminants as it travels through the atmosphere. The particulars vary according to location but may include toxic particles from smokestacks, smog and exhaust from city traffic. In fact, rainwater frequently contains chemicals like iodine, bromine, boron, iron, alumina, and silica, and in some areas of the US, it even contains high levels of “toxic forever” chemicals.
Acid rain is caused by pollution (sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides) released by the burning of coal and other fossil fuels. Pollution of this type can travel long distances before it reacts with water, oxygen and other chemicals to form sulfuric and nitric acids. These acids then mix with water and other materials before falling to the ground which creates water with an unusually low pH. While ingesting acid rain alone won’t typically make humans immediately sick, it can cause significant environmental harm, including crop damage.
