Annual Private Well Water Testing

Virtually any expert on private well water recommends at least annual water testing.  A study done by three Midwestern universities  reveals that a significant portion of owners do not understand the importance of annual testing.  And even more are confused by what testing is sufficient. Hopefully this discussion will assist you in understanding the importance of annual testing. Additionally I hope to give you some guidance in choosing testing at the right level for you and your family.

Quality Well Head

What do you need to know?
In previous postings I have discussed the wide variety of issues that can inform you regarding the circumstances that effect the quality of the water in a water well.  I encourage you to check those out if you have not already done so.  

Most important is this.  Each private well owner/user is responsible for ensuring the quality of the water they and their family consume. While the government continues to find ways to involve itself in your private affairs, ultimately the owner or user of the well is responsible for the safety and comfort of their family. 

The only way that you can do that is to be responsible for the following:

• Be informed as to the local issues that effect water quality. Those include:
• Naturally occurring minerals.
• Toxic substance spills.
• Potential local industrial sources of pollution - both current and past.
• Annually testing the water quality.
• Annually disinfect the well - I will cover this in a later posting.

So what testing do I order?

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 Confirm 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. 

In my next post we will talk about where to start your annual testing regimin.

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

Endotoxin Analysis

Environmental Testing and Research Laboratories announce adding enhanced endotoxin analysis to their services.  Historically, endotoxin analysis was limited to identifying results in one of three ranges. Recently, sophisticated FDA approved equipment has been acquired which provides ETR Laboratories with the ability to promptly and easily give exact results . . . . often the same day as sampling.  

Endotoxins are a lipopolysaccharide complex associated with gram negative bacteria.  Understanding the level of these bacterial pathogens present in certain medical environments assists in ensuring safe use of services provided. 

ETR Laboratories testing is accurate from .05 EU/ml (Endotoxin Units/milliliter) up to infinity. 

For additional information on endotoxin analysis, contact ETR Laboratories, (800) 344-9977 Greg Aldrich, Director, Sales and Marketing, galdrich@etrlabs.com or Ram Ananthoji, PhD., Laboratory Manager, ram@etrlabs.com. 

# 1 Mistake Regarding Sulfur and Drinking Water

Many times each week we have someone complain that they have Sulfur in their water.  While there are probably few areas of the world where sulfur occurs naturally in the aquifers from which drinking water is drawn, the fact is there are very few.  More often the source of the odor is something else completely. Most folks would be surprised and probably dismayed to know what the source is. More significantly the solutions are pretty simple. 

Folks frequently complain for rotten egg or sulfur odor from their water.  Sometimes it is from just the hot water. Often it is from both hot and cold water.  So what is the cause if it is not sulfur?  Actually there is not one cause, but several.  Often called iron bacteria or manganese bacteria they are in fact one of several species including Thiobacillus ferrooxidans and Leptospirillum ferrooxidans. These micro-organisms use dissolved ferric iron (and sometime manganese) which results in ferric oxide.

The result is often a musty, rotten egg or other unpleasant odor in water from your tap.  For most folks these little creatures are not harmful. Some people with a compromised immune system may suffer ill effects. The question is "How did they get there?"  While it may have been a onetime issue of contamination, often this bacteria is an indicator of surface water or other contamination of your well system.  That is, these bacteria can indicate that surface water is getting into your system. Removing them and then monitoring that they stay removed is important. 


How do you do this?  If the odor is observed only in the hot water, then it is probably because you have turned the water temperature down too low.  This is common in this day and age when folks are looking for anyway to save a few bucks.  Lowering the temperature on your hot water tank or system will save you money.  However if you lower it below 140 degrees Fahrenheit, that will allow these bacteria to grow with the resulting objectionable odor.   


So turn the thermostat on your hot water tank or system up so that the water coming out of the tap is above 140 degrees.  That will kill the bacteria that is resident in you hot water tank and the resulting odor will likely go away and stay gone!  BE CAREFUL! Raising the temperature can lead to scalding, so make sure that everyone in the home, PARTICULARLY THE KIDS, know how to adjust their use of the shower and other water faucets to ensure there are not injuries. 

ETR Well Water Disinfection Kit

Both Hot and Cold Water.  If the odor is coming from both hot and cold water the solution becomes disinfecting the well. Sometimes this is called shocking the well.  To learn more about this process go to this location at ETR Laboratories Website.

However you treat you water, if the odor comes back repeatedly, you probably have an issue with surface water getting into your well.  To learn more about how to properly maintain a private well go to this location and download the available documents.