"We've been drinking this for YEARS!"

“Why should I have my well/spring tested?”

Many people simply do not know if their well or spring is free of bacteria. We hear this all the time. “We’ve been drinking that water for years and have never had a sick day in our lives.” Well, that may be true. People can develop immunities to certain strains of coliform and may never have a problem.

The issue is that the human body is not a static system. Resistances to certain substances or organisms increase and decrease over time, immune systems become compromised, or family members move into the house (ie. birth, adoption, death of a spouse, etc) permanently or even for a short weekend visit. Any one of these can mean that someone who does not have the immunities that you have may come into contact with coliform organisms that could cause significant gastrointestinal distress – even enough to warrant hospitalization.

A simple, inexpensive test can help you with that. The sample can be taken by the homeowner and brought to the laboratory where it can be tested for total coliform and E.coli. Alternatively, you can call us to come to your home to collect the sample for you. This is a presence / absence test that will statistically prove that your well is free of coliform contamination and requires a sterile sample bottle (available in our office dropbox), a small bottle of alcohol (available in most medicine cabinets), and a cotton swab or two. You may need to have some pliers on hand to help gently remove the aerator from the faucet. Please see our sampling procedures available on our website.

The test is inexpensive and takes approximately 24 – 48 hours to get results. The results are available electronically as well as in hard copy form.  We are a state-certified laboratory for testing total coliform and E.coli in drinking water.

Quantitative tests are also available. This is an MPN – Most Probable Number - test. The test is outsourced to another lab. Limited hold times apply and there is an increased cost. So, please, call us in advance to schedule this test.

The EPA recommends that routine annual testing for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids (TDS) and pH be done. Regular testing establishes a record of water quality that is useful in solving future problems.

EPA - Home Water Testing Recommendations