While the presence in wells of plants alone do not typically cause harmful health effects, their presence does indicate that the well is not properly sealed or has some other faults. If plants are present in the well, they could provide a living environment for other organic foreign objects such as rodents, insects and bacteria. In the examples below you can see where plants have shown poor construction or maintenance of the well.

 

In this video you can see plant roots growing in an abandoned well. The roots appear to be growing through holes in the metal casing. These holes may also allow other contaminates to enter the well and the local groundwater system.

 

In the image above you can see a root mat at the bottom of a well that is providing a habitat for a worm seen on the right-hand side of the picture.

 

In this image you can see a number of leaves floating on top of the water.

 

This video show a growth on the steel casing of a well, which could be a fungus or other organic growth.