Where do I start My annual testing?

There are several approaches you can take to make this decision.  One is to rely on the EPA's recommendation. That recommendation is this. Test for Coliform and e.Coli bacteria, lead, nitrate and nitrite, plus what ever contaminants are known to be a local concern.

The challenge with this criteria is that it is very difficult to know what is a concern to your well. While contamination of a neighbors well can indicate a problem, in most cases no one knows with certainty that your well and theirs are on the same aquifer. Water underground is very much like water on the surface. Sometimes it is in bodies that are very similar to ponds or larger like lakes or oceans. Often the water is in an aquifer that is like a stream or river. Unfortunately knowing if you and your neighbor are on the same aquifer is a difficult task. 

We can make a pretty good guess as to the best testing for your situation. There are two places you could

Well head at ground Level -
Can be a source of
contamination

be. One is that you have not done any testing for a long period of time, possibly you never have.  The other is that you have done some testing recently . . .  in year or two.

If are in the first group, where you have not done much testing recently, don't feel bad. Many others are in the same boat.  It is urgent that you start NOW so that you and your family are protected from any pollutants that either are now in the well or that enter your aquifer in the future. Here are some factors in determining testing you should order at this time.

• If you have knowledge of significant industrial, waste disposal or farming pollution in your area it is probably advisable to consider very extensive testing similar to our Advanced Environmental Health Scan. For somewhat lesser but similar situation the Environmental Scan should be adequate. 
• If your well or the water from it has any of the following issues testing similar to our Health Scan is the recommended testing:
• There is any foul odor, taste or color in your water
• It is a shallow well. 
• The well head is less than 12" inches above ground or is subterranean
• The well cap is not tightly sealed
• Any structure or plants cover or are less than a foot or two from the well head.
• The well head is adjacent to a road or any body of water or is in the woods.
• If none of the above are a concern, it is likely that testing similar to our Comprehensive Scan is adequate to reveal the quality of your well water. 

In the last of this three part series I will discuss the considerations you will want to make regarding the ongoing testing that will ensure your families water source is of good quality.

If there is anything we can do to assist you with making the decision as to the correct testing for your situation, please contact us at (800) 344-9977 or by email: info@etrlabs.com.

Greg Aldrich

ETR Laboratories, Inc. 

galdrich@etrlabs.com