Should I have my well tested?
Yes. In 1999 - 2000, contaminated private well water caused 26% of the drinking water outbreaks that made people sick. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) rules that protect public drinking water systems do not apply to privately owned wells. Most states have rules for private wells, but these rules may not completely protect your private well. In other words, as a private well owner, it is up to you to make sure that your well water is safe to drink. Your local health or environmental department can help advise you.

When should I have my well tested?
Check your well every spring to make sure there are no mechanical problems; test it once each year for germs and once every two to three years for harmful chemicals. You should also have your well tested if:

• There are known problems with well water in your area
• You have experienced problems near your well (i.e., flooding, land disturbances, and nearby waste disposal sites)
• You replace or repair any part of your well system.

How do I find out if my well is contaminated?
The only way to find out if your well water is contaminated is to test it. You can contact your health or environmental department, or a private laboratory to test for germs and harmful chemicals. In some states, the drilling contractor must test a new well after it is built. However, as a well owner, it is up to you to maintain your well and have it tested regularly.

How do germs and chemicals get into my well water?
Germs and chemicals can get into your well water and contaminate it in different ways. Some germs and chemicals occur naturally. For example, heavy metals like arsenic, lead, and cadmium are naturally found in rocks and soil and sometimes seep into ground water. Other contaminants come from human and animal waste resulting from polluted storm water runoff, agricultural runoff, flooded sewers, or individual septic systems that are not working properly.

What are the germs and chemicals I should test for in my well?
Several things you should test for are listed below. These germs and chemicals can be a risk to your health. (Please see the Contaminants in Well Water fact sheet for a list of common germs and chemicals in drinking water and the illnesses they cause.)

• Total Coliform
  Coliform bacteria are microbes found in the digestive systems of warm-blooded animals, in soil, on plants, and in surface water. These microbes typically do not make you sick; however, because microbes that do cause disease are hard to test for in the water, "total coliforms" are tested instead. If the total coliform count is high, then it is very possible that harmful germs like viruses, bacteria, and parasites might also be found in the water.
• Fecal Coliform / Escherichia coli (E. coli)
  Fecal coliform bacteria are a kind of total coliform. The feces (or stool) and digestive systems of humans and warm-blooded animals contain millions of fecal coliforms. E. coli is part of the fecal coliform group and may be tested for by itself. Fecal coliforms and E. coli are usually harmless. However, a positive test may mean that feces and harmful germs have found their way into your water system. These harmful germs can cause diarrhea, dysentery, and hepatitis. It is important not to confuse the test for the common and usually harmless E. coli with a test for the more dangerous E. coli O157:H7.
• Nitrate
  Nitrate is naturally found in many types of food. However, high levels of nitrate in drinking water can make people sick. Nitrate in your well water can come from animal waste, private septic systems, wastewater, flooded sewers, polluted storm water runoff, fertilizers, agricultural runoff, and decaying plants. The presence of nitrate in well water also depends on the geology of the land around your well. A nitrate test is recommended for all wells. If the nitrate level in your water is higher than the EPA standards, you should look for other sources of water or ways to treat your water.
• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
  VOCs are industrial and fuel-related chemicals that may cause bad health effects at certain levels. Which VOCs to test for depends on where you live. Contact your local health or environmental department, or the EPA to find out if any VOCs are a problem in your region. Some VOCs to ask about testing for are benzene, carbon tetrachloride, toluene, trichloroethelene, and methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE).
• pH
  The pH level tells you how acidic or basic your water is. The pH level of the water can change how your water looks and tastes. If the pH of your water is too low or too high, it could damage your pipes, cause heavy metals like lead to leak out of the pipes into the water, and eventually make you sick.

Other germs or harmful chemicals that you should test for will depend on where your well is located on your property, which state you live in, and whether you live in an urban or rural area. These tests could include testing for lead, arsenic, mercury, radium, atrazine, and other pesticides. You should check with your local health or environmental department, or the EPA to find out if any of these are a problem in your region.

Please remember that if your test results say that there are germs or chemicals in your water, you should contact your local health or environmental department for help and test your water more often.

My well water has a funny smell or taste; should I worry about getting sick?
A change in your water's taste, color, or smell is often not a health concern. However, a change could be a sign of serious contamination problems. Any time you notice a change in your water quality, you should have it tested.

Where do I go to have my well water tested?

VICC can test and analyze water using our EPA approved testing methods and equipment

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. EPA sets standards for approximately 90 contaminants in drinking water. EPA's standards, along with each contaminant's likely source and health effects, are available at www.epa.gov/safewater/mcl.html . More detailed information on specific contaminants is available below:

Microbes ~ Radionuclides ~ Inorganics ~ Synthetic Organics
Volatile Organics ~ Disinfectants ~ Disinfection Byproducts

Microbes

Coliform bacteria are common in the environment and are generally not harmful. However, the presence of these bacteria in drinking water is usually a result of a problem with the treatment system or the pipes which distribute water, and indicates that the water may be contaminated with germs that can cause disease.

Fecal Coliform and E coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause short-term effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. 

Turbidity has no health effects. However, turbidity can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth. Turbidity may indicate the presence of disease causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.

Cryptosporidium is a parasite that enters lakes and rivers through sewage and animal waste. It causes cryptosporidiosis, a mild gastrointestinal disease. However, the disease can be severe or fatal for people with severely weakened immune systems. EPA and CDC have prepared advice for those with severely compromised immune systems who are concerned about Cryptosporidium. 

Giardia lamblia is a parasite that enters lakes and rivers through sewage and animal waste. It causes gastrointestinal illness (e.g. diarrhea, vomiting, cramps).

Radionuclides

Alpha emitters.

Certain minerals are radioactive and may emit a form of radiation known as alpha radiation. Some people who drink water containing alpha emitters in excess of  EPA's standard over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

Beta/photon emitters. Certain minerals are radioactive and may emit forms of radiation known as photons and beta radiation. Some people who drink water containing beta and photon emitters in excess of EPA's standard over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

Combined Radium 226/228. Some people who drink water containing radium 226 or 228 in excess of EPA's standard over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

Radon gas can dissolve and accumulate in underground water sources, such as wells, and in the air in your home. Breathing radon can cause lung cancer. Drinking water containing radon presents a risk of developing cancer. Radon in air is more dangerous than radon in water.

Inorganic Contaminants

Synthetic Organic Contaminants, including pesticides & herbicides

Technical fact sheets on Synthetic Organic Contaminants

Volatile Organic Contaminants

Technical fact sheets on Volatile Organic Contaminants

Disinfectants

Many water suppliers add a disinfectant to drinking water to kill germs such as giardia and e coli. Especially after heavy rainstorms, your water system may add more disinfectant to guarantee that these germs are killed. 

Chlorine. Some people who use drinking water containing chlorine well in excess of EPA's standard could experience irritating effects to their eyes and nose.  Some people who drink water containing chlorine well in excess of EPA's standard could experience stomach discomfort.

Chloramine. Some people who use drinking water containing chloramines well in excess of EPA's standard could experience irritating effects to their eyes and nose.  Some people who drink water containing chloramines well in excess of EPA's standard could experience stomach discomfort or anemia.

Chlorine Dioxide. Some infants and young children who drink water containing chlorine dioxide in excess of EPA's standard could experience nervous system effects.  Similar effects may occur in fetuses of pregnant women who drink water containing chlorine dioxide in excess of EPA's standard.  Some people may experience anemia.

Disinfection Byproducts

Disinfection byproducts form when disinfectants added to drinking water to kill germs react with naturally-occuring organic matter in water.

Total Trihalomethanes. Some people who drink water containing trihalomethanes in excess of EPA's standard over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous systems, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer. 
Haloacetic Acids. Some people who drink water containing haloacetic acids in excess of EPA's standard over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

Bromate. Some people who drink water containing bromate in excess of EPA's standard over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

Chlorite. Some infants and young children who drink water containing chlorite in excess of EPA's standard could experience nervous system effects. Similar effects may occur in fetuses of pregnant women who drink water containing chlorite in excess of EPA's standard. Some people may experience anemia.
 

The implications for the water industry worldwide are immense and the issues complex. Even the enormous tragedy of the tsunami of December 26, 2004 pales by comparison. It is an issue that leading companies in the water treatment industry could help resolve with united and concerted effort.

The story went on: "Jamie Bartram (World Health Organization) and colleagues write that poor sanitation and a lack of safe drinking water is a 'silent humanitarian crisis' that kills some 3,900 children everyday and thwarts progress to the MDG's, especially in Africa and Asia.

While sufficient progress has been made to reach the overall target of halving the proportion of the population without access to safe drinking water between 1990 and 2015, meeting this target will still leave hundreds of millions of people without safe drinking water, particularly in east Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

The article calls for immediate concerted efforts to confront the reality that sanitation coverage rates in the developing world barely keep pace with population growth. Four out of 10 people in the world do not have access to a simple pit latrine.

The authors state that although access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation can have a strong positive effect on human health, the development and management of water resources as a whole has significant health implications.

Man-made reservoirs and irrigation schemes help provide food and nutrition but they can also form ideal habitats for intensified transmission of schistosomiasis, an infection caused by a type of flatworm.

Irrigation infrastructure and management of irrigation can be designed to keep transmission to a minimum. Improving irrigation to avoid standing or slow-moving water and improving disposal of household wastewater can also reduce mosquito breeding and transmission of malaria.

The paper recommends dramatic scaling up of efforts, involving the expansion of safe drinking water and sanitation coverage, in order to meet the MDG water and sanitation target by 2015. The authors write that this requires neither colossal sums of money nor scientific breakthroughs or technological advances.

Dr. Bartram concludes: 'Investment in water is an efficient and effective way to combat waterborne and vector-borne diseases. In view of the financial constraints and shortages of trained health professionals in the poorest countries of the world, it is a priority that the international health community needs to give the attention it deserves.'