Electrical currents damaging building foundations near a water well.

Hidden Risks Beneath Our Feet: How Water Wells Can Damage Nearby Buildings

Nico Varela in Climate & Environment September 2025 • 4 min read.

"Unseen electrical forces around deep water wells can compromise building integrity. Understand the science and protect your property."

We often take for granted the infrastructure that supports our daily lives, including the seemingly simple water well. However, lurking beneath the surface are complex electrical phenomena that can pose a significant risk to nearby buildings and structures. Railways, with their long-standing history of water supply systems dating back to the steam-engine era, often find water wells situated close to their tracks. While convenient, this proximity can lead to unexpected structural problems.

Railway workers have observed that buildings and structures located near water wells tend to experience more severe damage compared to those in more remote areas. This observation points to the influence of factors beyond typical wear and tear. Leakage currents from railway operations have long been recognized as a source of electrocorrosion, but the specific role of water wells in exacerbating these effects has remained largely unexplored – until now.

Recent research has shed light on the mechanisms by which water wells can contribute to structural damage. This article delves into the propagation of electric potentials in the vicinity of water wells, examines their impact on building integrity, and provides recommendations for preventing such damage. By understanding the interplay between water wells, electrical charges, and building materials, property owners and infrastructure managers can take proactive steps to protect their investments.

The Unseen Electrical Field: How Water Wells Generate Risk

Electrical currents damaging building foundations near a water well.

The key lies in understanding how exploitable water wells can disrupt the electrical balance of the surrounding area. These wells, vital for water extraction, inadvertently create what's known as a macroelectrokinetic potential. This potential arises from the movement of water through the ground, which causes a separation of electrical charges.

Imagine the ground as a vast reservoir of ions, both positive (cations) and negative (anions). As water is drawn into the well, it carries away cations like sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), and calcium (Ca2+). This selective removal of positive ions leaves the surrounding ground with a net negative charge.

Uneven Ground Strain: The altered electrical field can lead to non-uniform strains in the soil beneath foundations.
Cracks and Damage: This uneven strain can manifest as cracks and structural damage in nearby buildings.
Accelerated Corrosion: The electrical imbalances can intensify electrocorrosion, particularly in structures near direct current (DC) rail tracks.

The research highlights that electric potentials around the wells shift from positive values (0.55–0.67V) near the well to negative values (0.39–0.4V) at distances of 29–62 meters. This charge separation mirrors the Earth's natural electrical field, where a negative excess charge exists near the surface. The water extraction process amplifies this effect, creating a localized zone of electrical disturbance.

Protecting Your Structures: Practical Steps to Mitigate Risk

The research underscores the importance of proactive measures to protect buildings from the damaging effects of electrical imbalances caused by water wells. Several strategies can be implemented to minimize risk:

<b>Waterproofing:</b> Implementing high-quality horizontal waterproofing is crucial. This barrier should be installed not only at the top of the foundation but also at the level of the riprap (the protective layer of stones or concrete placed around the base of the building). This dual-layer approach provides comprehensive protection against moisture and electrical currents.

<b>Further Investigation:</b> The authors recommend investigating the possibility of bypassing the pipe casing and building structures altogether. This approach would involve creating an alternative pathway for electrical currents, preventing them from directly impacting the building's foundation. By understanding the science behind this phenomenon and implementing these preventative measures, property owners and infrastructure managers can safeguard their buildings against the hidden risks associated with water wells.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1051/matecconf/201711601011, Alternate LINK

Title: Electric Potentials And Charges On Buildings And Areas Around Deep Water Wells

Subject: General Medicine

Journal: MATEC Web of Conferences

Publisher: EDP Sciences

Authors: Arkadiy Plugin, Oliksii Pluhin, Olena Palant, Oleksandr Konev, Andrii Nikitinskii

Published: 2017-01-01

Everything You Need To Know

How do deep water wells cause electrical imbalances that can impact nearby structures?

Deep water wells, while essential for water extraction, can inadvertently create what is known as a macroelectrokinetic potential. This potential arises due to the movement of water through the ground, leading to a separation of electrical charges. As water is drawn into the well, it carries away cations like sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), and calcium (Ca2+), leaving the surrounding ground with a net negative charge, thereby disrupting the electrical balance of the area.

What types of structural damage can result from the presence of water wells near buildings?

The alteration of the electrical field around water wells can lead to uneven ground strain beneath building foundations. This uneven strain can then manifest as cracks and structural damage in nearby buildings. Furthermore, the electrical imbalances can intensify electrocorrosion, particularly in structures located near direct current (DC) rail tracks, accelerating the deterioration of building materials.

What is the macroelectrokinetic potential, and how does it relate to water extraction?

The macroelectrokinetic potential generated by water wells results from the selective removal of positive ions (cations) like sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), and calcium (Ca2+) during water extraction. This process leaves the surrounding ground with a net negative charge. The research indicates that electric potentials around the wells shift from positive values (0.55–0.67V) near the well to negative values (0.39–0.4V) at distances of 29–62 meters. This creates a localized zone of electrical disturbance, amplifying the Earth's natural electrical field.

In what specific ways can the electrical forces generated by water wells affect the structural integrity of buildings, particularly in proximity to railways?

The electrical imbalances created by water wells, primarily the macroelectrokinetic potential, can significantly impact buildings by causing uneven ground strain, which leads to cracks and structural damage. This is especially critical for railways where the convergence of water supply infrastructure like wells and stray currents from DC lines exacerbate damage. The electrocorrosion due to the altered electrical field accelerates the deterioration of structures.

What specific actions can property owners and infrastructure managers take to mitigate the risks associated with electrical imbalances caused by water wells, even though specific strategies aren't mentioned?

While specific preventative strategies aren't detailed here, the research underscores the importance of proactive measures to protect buildings from the damaging effects of electrical imbalances caused by water wells. These will be based on minimizing the impact of the electric imbalances. These might include grounding and electrical isolation measures, as well as selecting building materials that can withstand electrocorrosion. Regular monitoring of electrical potentials around wells and nearby structures would also likely be beneficial.