As a well owner, you are on your own. You are responsible for maintaining both needed water quantity and desired water quality.

We should start by saying that wells are mysteriously wonderful and generally reliable necessities. They produce naturally cleaned water, filtered over years traveling through sand, soil, clay, and rock. It is a journey unlike any other man-made filtration system. And the water is generally bacteria free and pure, but can through its journey collect undesirable and unhealthy elements.

In terms of who should conduct water testing, generally we recommend state certified laboratories that can collect and/or test the quality of the water for any contaminants. In general, “home test kits” available to the public are not that sophisticated, reliable or suitable if you want key information. In some states, and for real estate transactions and lenders, those collecting the water sample must also be trained and certified. So be sure that the water sample is collected properly, so that the results are not inaccurate with either false positives or negatives.

In terms of frequency of testing, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommend that every well owner test their water each year. Further, State and local regulators recommend both water testing and well inspections every 1-3 years. Please consult your local authorities for additional guidance, which cannot be generalized.

For what elements should you test? Water can be tested for more than 250 naturally occurring and man-made elements. Testing for all possibilities is expensive and not recommended. Rather, a good cross section of quality can be achieved by testing for Bacteria, Nitrates, Turbidity and pH. This is the basis for water that is both health and does not damage the fixtures. But due to lender requirements (VA/FHA), we frequently also have requests for testing Nitrites, Lead, Radium, Radon and Arsenic.

Our best advice is to ask your local experts/labs about elements found to be harmful or undesirable that have been found to be resent in the local water, and test for those items if they concern you. Safe water is best for your long term health, and we have summarized some of the effects below.

In additional to qualities for healthy water, water can also be monitored and modified for your preference, including hardness/softness of the water, and removal of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) amount other things. These are not health related, but rather deal with your preferences of the “feel” of the water. Also, water can be treated for Iron (orange stains), Magnesium (blue-green stains) and other non-toxic elements where the effects are simply non-desirable.

Most water is safe, but should be tested to ensure the long term health of both your family and the plumbing system of your home.