When You Should Test Wells?

Nebraska law requires periodic testing of all public water supplies, but in most cases the testing of private water supplies is an individual decision.

As a general recommendation, private water supplies should be checked once per year for nitrate and bacterial contamination. The following guidelines describe conditions in which testing may be advisable.

• Water has an objectionable taste, smell or change in color.
• Household plumbing contains lead pipes, brass fittings or lead-solder joints.
• You are considering installing water treatment equipment.
• You want to check the efficiency and performance of home water-treatment equipment.
• Pipes or plumbing show signs of corrosion.
• You have recurrent incidents of gastrointestinal illness.
• You are buying a home and wish to evaluate the quality of the water supply.
• Water stains on plumbing fixtures and laundry.
• Someone in the household is pregnant or anticipating a pregnancy.
• The household includes an infant less than 6 months old.
• You have a new well and want to evaluate it.
• The well is less than 50 feet deep and: (1) the soil is sandy, or (2) bedrock or sand and gravel is less than 10 feet from the surface.
• The well is within 50 feet of a septic tank or 75 feet of a septic system's absorption field.
• The well is located near an operational or abandoned gas station or fuel storage tank (buried or above ground). Testing is particularly important if the tank has been known to leak.
• The well is close to any of these possible sources of contamination: a retail chemical facility, gravel pit, oil or gas drilling operation, dump, landfill, junkyard, factory, dry cleaning operation, livestock confinement area, road-salt storage site or heavily salted roadway.

Testing

Both governmental and commercial laboratories offer water testing. In Nebraska contact the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services System Laboratory, 3701 S. 14th St., P.O. Box 2755, Lincoln, NE 68502, or phone (402) 471-2122 for a list of certified water test laboratories in Nebraska.

For irrigation and livestock water use, contact local Cooperative Extension offices. Obtain a free copy of the Cooperative Extension NebGuide "Water Testing Laboratories" (G89-907) for more information. Some Natural Resources Districts offer free testing for private wells of district residents. Contact your local NRD for more information.

(Source: NU Cooperative Extension NebGuide "Water Testing Laboratories" (G89-907), Illinois Cooperative Extension Service)