Testing the water in your household more than once a year may be warranted if:
- someone in your household is pregnant or nursing
- there are unexplained illnesses in the family
- your neighbors find a dangerous contaminant in their water
- you note a change in water taste, odor, color or clarity
- there is a spill of chemicals or fuels into or near your well when you replace or repair any part of your well system
Not Sure?
Use the tool below to determine what screening you should do on your well water.
Recurring gastro-intestinal illness
Test for Coliform bacteria
Household plumbing contains lead
Test for pH, lead, copper
Radon in indoor air or region is radon rich
Test for radon
Corrosion of pipes, plumbing
Test for Corrosion, pH, lead
Nearby areas of intensive agriculture
Test for nitrates, pesticides, and coliform bacteria
Coal or other mining operations nearby
Test for metals, pH, and corrosion
Gas drilling operations nearby
Test for chloride, sodium, barium, and strontium
Dump, junkyard, landfill, factory, gas station, or dry-cleaning operation nearby
Test for volatile organic compounds, total dissolved solids, pH, sulfate, chloride, and heavy metals
Odor of gasoline or fuel oil, and near gas station or buried fuel tanks
Test for volatile organic compounds
Objectionable taste or smell
Test for hydrogen sulfide, corrosion, and heavy metals
Stained plumbing fixtures, laundry
Test for iron, copper, and manganese
Salty taste and seawater, or a heavily salted roadway nearby
Test for chloride, total dissolved solids, and sodium
Scaly residues, soaps don't lather
Test for hardness
Rapid wear of water treatment equipment
Test for pH and corrosion
Water softener needed to treat hardness
Test for Manganese & Iron, Calcium & Iron, Silica
Water appears cloudy, frothy, or colored
Test for color and detergents