When buying a home with a water well, you may be worried about the safety of the water quality. But how do you know if it’s safe, what parameters should you be concerned about, and how do you get it tested?

 

Finding your water well’s records

 

When it comes to a private water well, most states collect records either at county health departments, or at the department of natural resources. These records will have information about bacteriological and chemical analysis.

You can use these records to get an idea of what your water quality has been previously. This can tell you if there were any contaminants that have been a reoccurring issue that you need to pay extra attention to too.

 

Whenever you have testing done on your well by a certified laboratory, you should file the reports with your state’s department of natural resources. These can help the department manage groundwater resources within a region, identify potential contamination, manage aquifers, and ensure the sustainable use of water by regulating well drilling and usage.

 

What parameters should you test your well for?

 

While there are hundreds of possible contaminants and parameters in your water, there is a small list that are the most important to test for. We’ll cover what these parameters are, what levels they should be at, and how they affect your water quality.

 

Bacteria:

 

Bacteria in drinking water is often measured as Total Coliform. One species of coliform bacteria is E. coli. It is from fecal matter or inside the digestive system of animals. If your water is contaminated with coliform bacteria, it means that either an animal has gotten into your well (like mice) or that run-off water has gotten into your well system.

The EPA recommendation is that there should be 0 colony forming units of Total Coliform in your well water. A colony forming unit is simply the way that the amount of bacteria in a sample is measured.

 

Nitrate:

 

Small amounts of Nitrate can naturally be found in drinking water, but elevated levels can come from fertilizer, wastewater, runoff, and other sources. Nitrates in high levels can interfere with the blood’s ability to carry oxygen, called Methemoglobinemia. In infants this is called “blue baby syndrome”.  Babies under 6 months and pregnant women are the most at risk when there are elevated Nitrate levels in your water.

Nitrate can also cause cancer, thyroid issues, and respiratory infections from being in drinking water.

There are two ways to measure Nitrate levels in water. It doesn’t matter which method is used. For Nitrate as Nitrogen the EPA limit is 10 ppm. For Nitrate as Nitrates the limit is 45 ppm.

 

Arsenic:

 

Arsenic is a natural component of the earth’s crust and is widespread throughout the environment. Its inorganic form is highly toxic and can be found in freshwater sources, including wells and other drinking water.

High levels of arsenic are associated with cancer, cardiovascular disease, skin problems, and nerve damage.

The EPA’s limit for Arsenic in drinking water is 10 ppb. While the EPA’s limit for Arsenic in drinking water is 10 ppb, you would ideally want no Arsenic in your water.

 

Dissolved Solids:

 

Dissolved Solids are minerals, salts, metals, cations or anions dissolved in water. Dissolved Solids can affect the taste of water, with extremely low levels tasting “flat”. While high levels can have off flavors and textures.

High levels of Dissolved Solids can also be bad for skin conditions such as dry skin or eczema and may also cause digestive issues. High levels of dissolved solids may also cause scaling on pipes and appliances.

To prevent these symptoms, dissolved solids have an aesthetic limit of 500 ppm.

 

 

Conductivity:

 

Conductivity is a way to measure the ability of water to pass an electrical current. It is affected by factors such as the amount of inorganic compounds, the amount of organic compounds, and dissolved salts.

The EPA recommends using Conductivity to monitor water quality. Your water well should have a consistent range of conductivity, and you can use this as a baseline. If you notice a significant change in conductivity, it is a warning sign that your water quality has changed, and there may be a pollutant.

There is not a set limit on what your conductivity should be at for any given well, but it should stay consistent over time.

 

Alkalinity:

 

Alkalinity is a measure of water’s ability to resist changes in pH. The higher the alkalinity, the more resistant to change. If Alkalinity is too low, then it may cause your water to be more corrosive, damaging your pipes. While high Alkalinity will make your water more likely to produce scale, causing build up on fixtures.

Alkalinity does not have an EPA limit. But if you need to adjust your pH and have high levels of alkalinity, it will make these adjustments more difficult.

 

Fluoride:

 

Fluoride is a chemical that is added to many water supplies to help prevent cavities. But if Fluoride is in too high of concentrations it can have negative health effects.

If Fluoride levels are too high for long periods of time, it may lead to Skeletal fluorosis, which is where Fluoride will build up in the skeletal system leading to joint stiffness and pain.

The EPA’s limit on Fluoride in drinking water is 4 ppm. But is also has a secondary limit of 2 ppm. This 2 ppm limit is specifically if there are children in the home to prevent dental fluorosis. This is where fluoride can build up in the teeth and prevent enamel from forming correctly.

 

Iron:

 

Iron in drinking water is not a health concern but can cause aesthetic issues. Elevated Iron levels can lead to several negative effects including:

• A metallic taste
• Bad smells
• Rust color
• Stained laundry
• Red stains on plumbing
• Sediment in the bottom of drinking glasses

The aesthetic limit for Iron is 0.3 ppm.

 

Manganese:

 

Manganese is a naturally occurring chemical that can be found in rocks and surface water. If it is consumed at a high level for a long time, then it can cause neurological damage.

The EPA has a health advisory level of 0.3 ppm for Manganese. A health advisory is a non-enforceable standard that is supposed to be used as a guideline.

Manganese can cause aesthetic problems in elevated levels. Some of these include:

• Metallic Taste
• Dark and cloudy color
• Dark stains on laundry
• Black particles in water
• Black film on dishes

The aesthetic limit for Manganese is 0.05 ppm.

 

Chlorides:

 

Chloride is an ion that forms from the element chlorine and is a component of salt.

It can enter your water through several sources, including salt found naturally in the environment, road salt, chlorination, and water softeners.

Chlorides are typically not toxic but can add an off or salty flavor to your water in high enough concentrations. They can also cause your water to become more corrosive. Causing damage to appliances and pipes in your home and well system.

The EPA doesn’t have a primary health standard for chlorides, but the secondary standard is set at 250 ppm to prevent corrosion.

 

Sulphates:

 

Sulphates are naturally occurring and can be found in rocks and soil. But they also have industrial uses like fertilizers and detergents. When consumed in high quantities they can lead to digestive issues such as diarrhea or stomach pain.

The EPA has a secondary limit for Sulphates of 250 ppm. If Sulphates are above this level, then the water may have a bitter flavor, and you are more likely to suffer from the laxative effects.

 

How to test your well water

 

If you have a home with a well, or want to test well water in a home you recently purchased, the Safe Home Premium In-Lab Test Kit is your best option.

This test kit will let you test for over 50 parameters in your well water that are critical for your well water. You buy the kit and collect a water sample from your home’s water. Then use the free shipping label to send that water back to our EPA-Certified Laboratory where our chemist does all of the analysis and send you an easy-to-understand report.

If you have any questions or need help with your kit, our customer support team would be happy to help you.

 

For well water, we also recommend doing quarterly checks for bacteria. We have an affordable and easy to use at-home test kit. The Safe Home DIY Bacteria Test Kit will let you test down to 1 colony forming unit of Total Coliform and you’ll have results within 24 hours.