How Often Should I Test My Water Well for Contaminants?
There are good and bad things about having your own well on your property instead of using a public water system.
One advantage is that you may not have to pay a monthly fee for usage of water, but the downside of the water from a private water well it is not usually regulated as closely as water that comes from a public water supply.
But testing your well water can be your solution to have peace of mind that your water is safe to drink. Here’s what you should know about why water testing is important and how it fits into a good well maintenance routine.
Water Contaminants Sources
Municipal water systems have a lot of chemicals in their water from the purification process that many well waters do not have. Well water is naturally filtered by aquifers, but that also means it can absorb other contaminants not removed through a public water treatment process.
Types of Contaminants
Since you don’t have high levels of chlorine or fluoride from the natural aquifer filtration, there are other contaminants that you should test your water for. Well water can potentially contain bacteria, viruses, arsenic, copper, nitrate, nitrite, and uranium. Radon is also a potential issue, and is produced when the rocks within the soil contain radioactive materials that will decay and release radon. Chemicals from fossil fuels can be volatile organic compounds that may end up in your water, so a more thorough test is necessary to determine if there’s a problem.
Types of Testing
A fundamental water test will usually reveal the types of issues that would damage your home’s infrastructure, and it’s basically just checking for mineral levels that tend to cause problems associated with hard water, or chemicals that might harm your plumbing. A more comprehensive test will detect what would be unhealthy, so when you’re shopping for water testing, look for a test that checks for bacteria, volatile organic compounds, chemicals, arsenic, radon and any other harmful contaminants.
When to Test Water
If you’re buying a new home that has a well, you need to test the water before you buy the home.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommends having the well inspected for mechanical problems every spring, as well as for contaminants that may have made their way into the aquifer from the spring runoff. You should test for bacteria, nitrite and nitrate once a year. A more comprehensive test for hardness, arsenic, copper, chloride, VOC and radon should be conducted every three to five years.
Recommended Test Frequency
There are some times when testing more often than once a year might be a good idea. The presence of hazardous chemicals or heavy industrial land use may require more frequent well testing.
What’s more, if the well is damaged or constructed improperly it might be more likely to become contaminated, so it’s also a good idea to test your well water if the well is ever having any problems or needs to be fixed. If you wake up one day and it tastes funky or it looks funny, or water quality seems to be diminished (especially in the event of a big storm) then that’s an indicator you should get it tested.
If you’ve had a water quality test or well inspection that indicates your well is contaminated, you can add systems that will treat all your water from the well before it enters the home. Fortunately, well chlorination kits or UV light purification systems will render your water safe again. For testing your water, call your nearest water testing laboratory today.