When the property you are inspecting has a “shallow well” designation you could come across a system as crude as a large open pit dug by a backhoe that captures ground seep and run-off water to a hand-bored sand point with a hand pump or 12-volt solar pump on off-grid properties. Shallow wells are typically 25 feet below the surface of the ground or less and can experience taste and odor issues from mineral content like iron and manganese.