Dr. Water

Dear Duncan,

Millions of individuals in the U. S. obtain their everyday use water, including drinking water, from private wells. Unlike drinking water from municipal supplies, private wells are not routinely monitored to ensure that its water meets appropriate drinking water quality standards. Water quality standards typically reflect the requirements of the U.S. EPA Manual for the Certification of Laboratories Analyzing Drinking Water, as is the water supplied by municipalities. Many university extension labs can test your well water; they offer reasonable prices and can provide extremely valuable screening information. Many don’t carry EPA certification, however so if litigation is an issue a certified laboratory is required. A testing log for your well should be kept to establish a record of water quality; in the event of contamination such a record can help to identify a cause.

Most States have a well construction code that requires new wells to be tested before they are used. Good guidelines are to test your well whenever: you detect a change in the odor or taste of your water; anyone using the water becomes ill, especially when accompanied by diarrhea or other gastro-intestinal disorders; a large storm or flood impacts your area, as these may carry contaminants to your well; maintenance work has been done on your well; any user of the well water is or anticipates becoming pregnant; or if there is an infant under six years of age.

Because you live in the country, you likely are adjacent to agricultural land. Some laboratories offer a coliform bacterial profile, which is indicative of fecal contamination in your well. If you live on or near agricultural land, it is important to test for bacterial contamination. Drinking water drawn from private wells should be tested for the presence of bacteria at least once a year, or any time there is a change in taste, odor, color or appearance of the well water.

Testing for the presence of nitrate is also an important, especially if there are infants less than six months of age who are users of the well, even in baby formulas. Nitrate may be converted to another chemical form called nitrite in the stomachs of small infants, which in turn could interfere with the ability of blood to carry oxygen. This may result in a condition called “blue baby” syndrome. Generally, older children and adults are not affected. Nitrate in wells mainly comes from fertilizer use in agricultural areas, animal feedlots, sewage fields, and municipal and industrial wastewater. It is prudent to check for nitrate if your well is in the vicinity of any of these areas.

Other chemicals commonly tested in private wells include, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pesticides and heavy metals. One may purchase well-testing kits for testing their own wells; however, such tests should be considered only as presumptive.

Best wishes,
"Dr. Water"

Further information on well testing protocols in relation to specific land use may be obtained by contacting Dr. Gary Winston, Director, National Center for Water Quality Research, Heidelberg University, Tiffin, OH. gwinston@heidelberg.edu.  Dr. Winston is aka Dr. Water.

Do you have a question about drinking water? Where it comes from? How it is cleaned? Why does it smell like chlorine? How much do you need to drink every day? Or, where to find information about your drinking water? "Dear Dr. Water" can help you. Send your question to dr.water@ipwr.org. Selected inquiries will be answered in the next issue of Dr. Water .

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