Consumers of municipal water receive treated and purified water into their households and are also supplied with an annual Consumer Confidence Report that tells them what their water contains. If you are one of 23 million households in the US that rely on well water, however, you have none of these benefits. It is up to you to verify what is in your water and to ensure it is good enough to drink.
Most well water is pure and perfectly drinkable. It travels through a lot of rock and other ground before it gets to your well, and although this will help to filter the water, it can pick up some undesirable content along the way. It is, therefore, in your best interests to know what your water contains, and so private well water testing is essential.
When to Use a Well Water Testing Kit
A newly constructed well should always have the water quality tested before it is used. After that, the recommendation is to test annually. Carry out additional tests if the condition of your water changes, if there is flooding, or if there are any changes that can affect groundwater safety — agricultural activity, landslips, a septic system impact, or industrial development, for example.
Testing should also be undertaken if you make changes to your well or are notified of problems with local well water. Ensuring your water is pure and clean is also essential if you have children or elderly people in your property, or if anyone is pregnant.
What to Test for
Many water test kits only detect specific contaminants, so you may need a comprehensive well water test kit to find what’s in your water. If in doubt, test for particular water quality indicators that will give you a good idea:
- Total coliforms are bacteria that will normally cause you no harm. However, they enter your water in the same way as other harmful germs, and so the presence of total coliforms will indicate that something more threatening may be in your water — bacteria, viruses, and parasites, for example. A sewage leak can cause these problems, and fecal coliforms (E. coli) can mean that human or animal waste is in your water.
- The pH level indicates whether your water is acidic or alkaline. If the pH level is below 7, this means there are more hydrogen ions than hydroxide ions, and so the water is acidic, whereas a level above 7 indicates alkalinity. Acidic water can corrode pipes and damage appliances, while alkaline water can lead to blockages in pipes and may also have a bitter taste. The recommended level is 6.5-8.5.
- Dissolved solids indicate the level of calcium, sodium, and other minerals in the water. These can affect the taste and also cause a build-up in pipes and appliances.
- Turbidity measures the cloudiness of water and can indicate the presence of viruses, parasites, and bacteria that can cause nausea, diarrhea, and other problems. A level of 10 nephelometer turbidity units is recommended, and a higher level may indicate that a test for excess iron is needed.
The content of your water can depend on where the well is located and whether you live in a rural or urban area. To help you to decide what to test for, your local health or environmental department can advise on the harmful germs and chemicals that may be present, while the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a drinking water hotline (800 426-4791).
At the very least, you should test well water for bacteria and nitrates. The presence of nitrates may indicate that other harmful germs or chemicals are also in your water, while pesticides and herbicides may be present in rural water sources, and lead, arsenic, VOCs, mercury, and radium may also be a problem.
How to Test
A home well water test kit is the cheapest and most convenient option, and is widely available. However, most kits test for only specific contaminants, so you need to choose carefully to identify likely water content and may need to use several kits.
For comprehensive testing, a laboratory test may be a better option. This will be more expensive and will take longer to produce results, but will be more reliable and wide-ranging. Some laboratories can test for over 200 elements, but this can be costly, and it may be better to follow local health and environmental department advice, testing for the most likely contaminants.
For each type of test, follow the instructions provided. Make sure you wash your hands before starting so you don’t contaminate the sample. Also, clean the faucet from which the sample is to be obtained and run cold water for two minutes to clear stagnant water from the pipes. Process the test according to the instructions and check the results against the provided chart. For a laboratory test, send off the sample and await the results.
Assessing Results and What to Do
The presence of total coliforms in your water will indicate that harmful bacteria may also be present. Fecal coliforms show animal or human waste is present, while nitrates are a particular threat to infants or older people and those with compromised immune systems. The pH level may indicate acidity or alkalinity, while the presence of calcium or magnesium shows that your water may be hard.
If there’s something seriously wrong with your water, stop using the well until you resolve the issue. You may need bottled water as a temporary solution, though boiling your water before use might suffice. A more permanent fix is to install a water filtration system to eliminate detected contaminants.
If you’re not sure what to do, speak to your local health or environmental department. They should be able to explain the impact of your test results and tell you the best course of action to make your well water safe. Whatever you do, don’t ignore the problem because it can be harmful to your health.
