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The difference, according to the company, lies in hydrogeological studies, granting, and continuous water monitoring. But an important caveat: the problem is not the private well itself, but the irregular well, without licensing. Almost 80% of the municipalities in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul depend on groundwater to supply their homes.
Crystal clear water is not synonymous with safe water, and the indiscriminate drilling of private wells can hide contaminants invisible to the consumer, such as fecal coliforms, viruses, nitrates, pesticides, and heavy metals. The warning comes from Corsan, now under the management of Grupo Aegea, which after the historic flood of May 2024 reinforces the use of deep wells as part of the official supply matrix of Rio Grande do Sul, within a water resilience plan of R$ 1.88 billion.
The largest flood ever recorded in Rio Grande do Sul affected 236 municipalities in the concessionaire’s area of operation, left about 906 thousand homes without water during the peak of the crisis, and required an emergency operation with 120 generators, barges, amphibious pumps, well drilling, and about 1,200 water truck trips. From this experience, the company claims to have structured a permanent strategy for prevention against extreme events.
The R$ 1.88 billion plan and the role of wells
Among the actions are the relocation of 91 operational units out of flood risk areas, the creation of redundant supply systems, the expansion of reservoirs, and the formation of strategic equipment stocks for disaster response.
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In this package, deep wells have gained prominence. They come in as alternative sources to surface captures, precisely to ensure supply when rivers and reservoirs are affected by drought or flooding. In Carazinho, for example, new deep tubular wells received an investment of over R$ 2 million, while Panambi inaugurated a treatment station worth R$ 30 million that triples the local capacity for potable water production, benefiting more than 45,000 people.
What differentiates a regular well from an irregular one
The wells operated by Corsan, according to the company’s CEO, Samanta Takimi, follow strict criteria: prior hydrogeological studies, water use permits, environmental licensing, continuous monitoring, and frequent laboratory analyses to ensure the standards established by the Ministry of Health.
On the other hand, so-called homemade wells, drilled without technical report or sanitary supervision, may capture water that appears pure but is contaminated by organisms such as fecal coliforms, viral hepatitis, or chemical substances like nitrates and agrochemicals. The color, smell, and taste of the water, the company reminds, often do not reveal the presence of these contaminants, making the risk invisible to the average consumer.
Private well is not synonymous with illegal well
Here it is necessary to make an important distinction, which corporate communication does not always highlight. A private well is not, by itself, synonymous with an illegal or unsafe well. The Water Law of 1997 provides for the use of groundwater by individuals through a permit granted by the competent authorities, and when the well is properly licensed, drilled by an authorized company, and periodically monitored, it is a legitimate alternative for supply.
The problem, therefore, lies in irregular wells, those that drill the ground without authorization, without water analysis, and without flow control. These, indeed, can compromise the health of those who consume the water and also affect the balance of the region’s aquifer. In a state like Rio Grande do Sul, where much of the interior historically depends on underground capture, vilifying all private wells indiscriminately would be unfair and technically incorrect.
The collective risks of uncontrolled use
Beyond individual health, there is a collective impact that often goes unnoticed. The intense and uncontrolled use of private wells can cause the lowering of the water table, reduction of regional water availability, and compromise of aquifers, phenomena studied by the National Water Agency and university hydrogeologists. This means that what a property owner decides to do on their land can affect the water of an entire region.
For this reason, experts advocate that groundwater management should always be integrated into official water planning. Without proper registration, inspection, and monitoring, it is impossible to know how many wells exist, how much water is being withdrawn, and at what rate the aquifer is being recharged, opening the door to a future scarcity that is difficult to reverse, especially during prolonged drought periods.
The context of privatization and corporate communication
It is worth noting the background of this discussion. Corsan began to be managed by the Aegea Group in July 2023, following the privatization of the state-owned company from Rio Grande do Sul, and the company claims to have invested R$ 3.85 billion since then, with an annual average about four times higher than historically. The goal is to meet the Legal Framework for Sanitation and achieve 99% coverage of treated water and 90% sewage collection by 2033 in its area of operation.
In this scenario, the warning about irregular private wells is technically correct, but it is also part of a context where the private concessionaire competes, in some cases, with alternative solutions adopted by consumers and companies who assess costs and availability. The reader benefits by accessing both the company’s position and the insights from independent sources, such as Funasa, the National Water Agency, and state environmental agencies, to form their own opinion.
How the consumer can protect themselves
At the end of the day, what matters most to the average consumer is knowing how to reduce risks. For those who use water from the public network, it is worth following the quality reports released by the concessionaire and demanding transparency about any issues. For those who rely on wells, especially in rural areas or districts without a supply network, the path involves regularizing usage, conducting periodic laboratory analyses of the water, and hiring qualified companies for drilling and maintenance.
Basic precautions, such as maintaining the sanitary protection of the well, ensuring adequate distance from septic tanks and corrals, proper sealing of the wellhead, and periodic cleaning of the household reservoir, significantly reduce the risk of contamination. In all cases, the recommendation from health authorities is to avoid consuming water from uncertain sources without any analysis, precisely because the crystalline appearance can hide what the eyes do not see.
The alert from Corsan, in the post-flood context of 2024, exposes an uncomfortable truth about Brazilian sanitation: water that looks clean can be dangerous to the body, and water security requires much more than availability. At the same time, it’s important to separate the wheat from the chaff: criticism should target irregular and uncontrolled wells, not underground capture as a technology, which is a legitimate and indispensable part of the Brazilian water matrix, especially in the countryside. In a scenario of increasingly extreme climate events, planning, regulation, and good use of information are the best possible filters.
And you, do you have a well at home or know someone who uses underground water without frequent analysis? Do you believe that the regularization of these wells should be more enforced by public authorities? Leave your comment, share your experience with water supply, and share the article with those who live in the countryside, rely on wells, or are concerned about the quality of the water they consume at home.
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