The question of whether or not to have your water tested is serious: it concerns the health of you and your family. Your water should be safe to drink and acceptable for all other household uses. In addition to illness, a variety of less serious problems such as taste, color, odor and staining of clothes or fixtures are symptoms of water quality problems. Even water that appears problem-free may not necessarily be safe or acceptable.

Transparency #1 How To Determine the Quality of Your Water
Chemicals and microbes are present in low concentrations. Hazardous concentrations of chemicals or the presence of microbes that cause disease cannot be detected by sight, taste or smell. A water analysis performed by your health department or a certified private laboratory is required to determine if chemicals and microbes are present in hazardous concentrations

2. TYPES OF WATER TESTS

Water tests may be conducted to evaluate basic water chemistry and to determine if the water meets the minimum criteria for bacterial and chemical content. There is no one simple test for all water problems.

Microbiological Test

The report from the laboratory will indicate that the water is either negative or positive for coliforms and fecal coliforms . If the test is coliform positive, then you should take immediate steps to determine and eliminate the source of contamination and/or disinfect the water before use.

Inorganic Test

A typical inorganic analysis will give the content in parts per million of mineral elements such as calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper and zinc. It will also determine the acidity or pH of the water and the hardness, expressed in parts per million or grains per gallon. It may also give the concentration of nitrate, sulfates and other chemical compounds.

Other Chemical Tests

Unless a specific chemical or type of chemical is suspected to be in the water, this type of test is not routinely performed. It can be very expensive to test for the presence of unspecified chemical contaminants; however, if a particular chemical is suspected, a test can usually be performed at minimal cost.

3. WHO SHOULD HAVE THEIR WATER TESTED?

Not everyone needs to test their water for some contaminants, and it is impractical and unnecessary to test for all possible contaminants.

If your water comes from a public or municipal water system, your water is regularly tested for contaminants regulated by federal and state standards, such as-pathogenic microbes, radioactive elements and certain toxic chemicals. However, some public water supplies may have water quality problems caused by inadequate municipal water treatment facilities or distribution systems. Some rural water supply districts do not have enough money to hire trained specialists or to immediately comply with expanding government requirements. In addition, corrosive water or deteriorating pipes in the house may add contaminants to municipal drinking water after it enters your home.

If you obtain drinking water from your well, you alone are responsible for ensuring that it is safe. For this reason, routine testing for a few of the most common contaminants is highly recommended. Even if you currently have a safe, pure water supply, regular testing can be valuable because it establishes a record of water quality. This record can be helpful in solving any future problems and in obtaining compensation if someone damages your water supply.

If you are considering a water treatment system, always have your water tested by a certified laboratory before selecting a system.

4. WHEN TO TEST

Transparency #5a Test Public or Private Water Supply
Whether you have a public or private water supply, have your water tested if the following situations arise:

• If family members or house guests have recurrent incidents of gastrointestinal illness, test for coliform bacteria, nitrate and sulfate.

• If household plumbing contains lead pipes, fittings or solder joints, test for pH, corrosion index, lead, copper, cadmium, and zinc.

• If you are buying a home and wish to assess the safety and quality of the existing water supply: test for coliform bacteria, nitrate, lead, iron, hardness, pH, sulfate, total dissolved solids (TDS), corrosion index and other parameters, depending on proximity to potential sources of contamination.

• If a water softener is needed to treat hard water, test for iron and manganese, which decrease the efficiency of cation exchange softeners, before purchase and installation of this type water treatment system.

• If you wish to monitor the efficiency and performance of home water treatment equipment, test for the specific water problem being treated, on installation, at regular intervals after installation and if water quality changes.

  Transparency #5b Test Public or Private Water Supply
  

• If water stains plumbing fixtures and laundry, test for iron, manganese, and copper.

• If water has an objectionable taste or smell, test for hydrogen sulfide, pH, corrosion index, copper, lead, iron, zinc, sodium, chloride, and TDS.

• If water appears cloudy, frothy or colored, test for color, turgidity and detergents.

• If pipes or plumbing show signs of corrosion, test for corrosion index, pH, lead, iron, manganese, copper and zinc.

• If water leaves scaly residue and soap scum and the cleaning action of soaps and detergents is decreased, test for hardness.

• If water supply equipment (pump, chlorinates, etc.) wears rapidly, test for pH, corrosion index, sand and silt.

Routine Tests: The testing frequencies that follow are general guidelines. Test more often if you suspect that there is a problem with the quality of your drinking water.

• Once each year test for coliform bacteria, nitrate, pH and TDS. Test for these contaminants during the spring or summer following a rainy period. Conduct these tests after repairing or replacing an old well or pipe and after installing a new well or pump.

• Every 3 years, test for sulfate, chloride, iron, manganese, lead, hardness and corrosion index.

• If a new baby is expected, test for nitrate in the early months of the pregnancy, before bringing home and again during the first 6 months of the baby's life.

• If your well is in an area of intensive agricultural use, test for pesticides commonly used in the area, coliform bacteria, nitrate, pH and TDS. If your well is near a dump, junkyard, landfill, factory, or dry-cleaning operation, test for volatile organic compounds (fuel components and cleaning solvents), pH, TDS, chloride, sulfate and metals.

• If your well is near sea water and your detect a salty taste or notice signs of corrosion on pipes--test for chloride, TDS and sodium.

Total Coliform Bacteria: sources--sewage, manure. Most coliform bacteria are not disease-causing, but are naturally present in the intestines of warm-blooded animals. If these organisms are present, sewage or manure may be contaminating your water supply. Presence of coliform may indicate them presence of other disease-causing bacteria or virus contaminants.

Nitrate: sources, sewage, manure, nitrogen fertilizer. Nitrates are poisonous compounds, but small quantities normally found in water seldom present a problem for health. Excessive levels have been correlated with gastric and stomach cancers and infant diseases.

Total dissolved Solids (TDS): sources, landfill leachate, mining and gas drilling; high levels can also be naturally occurring. A TDS concentration over the recommended limit may cause gastrointestinal problems in humans and animals. Dissolved solids in water may include organic matter and inorganic salts, calcium and magnesium carbonates, bicarbonates, chlorides, sulfates with traces of iron, manganese and other substances. If TDS concentrations are-high, it is wise to have further tests to determine specific contaminants.

Transparency #9 Water Tests for Private Systems--Every Three Years
These tests should be done very 3 years.

pH: sources, acid rainfall, runoff from mine spoils, decomposition of plant materials, natural soil weathering. If your pH level is under 6.5 (acidic) or over 8.5 (basic) it can be a cause of corrosion in your plumbing. corrosion can also contaminate your water source with metals such as copper, lead, and cadmium.

Sulfate: May cause gastrointestinal problems.

Chloride: May deteriorate water heaters and plumbing.

Iron and Manganese: May cause water to have bad taste or odor and cause staining in laundry.

Lead: is a Cumulative toxin, in early states, lead poisoning is hard to distinguish from a minor illness.

Hardness: Hard water can cause scaling in water heaters and pipes and may interfere with cleaning

Corrosion Index: Determines corrosive effects of water supply on plumbing, according to acidity and electrical conductivity.

TESTS FOR IRRIGATION WATER QUALITY
Transparency #10 Tests for Irrigation Water Quality
Several specific measurements of water quality are normally included in tests of irrigation water quality. These measurements help predict what effect, if any, the water will have on soils and plants irrigated with the water. Plant growth can be decreased by high concentrations of soluble salts or toxic levels of sodium, boron, and chloride in irrigation water. Productive soils can be made saline (salty), sodic (high in sodium) or saline-sodic, depending on the quality and type of salts in the water and the management practices used. Tests of irrigation water should include:

pH: the degree of alkalinity or acidity.

Electrical conductivity (EC): an index of total dissolved salts.

Dissolved salts: calcium, magnesium, sodium, bicarbonate, carbonate, potassium, sulfate, and nitrate.

Sodium adsorption ratio (SAR): a measure of the degree to which sodium from the water will accumulate in soil irrigated with the water. (SAR is calculated with the values for the first 4 dissolved salts listed above).

Others: boron, chloride.

LIVESTOCK WATER SUITABILITY
Transparency #11 Livestock Water Suitability
Livestock are affected by some of the same contaminants as humans. However, standards for water quality for livestock use are different from those for human drinking water. The most common tests of water for livestock use include:

• total coliform bacteria and total bacterial count

• sodium, calcium, magnesium, sulfate, nitrate, TDS, alkalinity

5. WHERE CAN YOU HAVE WATER TESTED?

Transparency #12 Contact These Establishments for Water Testing

• Municipal water supply systems regularly test for primary contaminants, monitor levels of sodium and certain unregulated chemical contaminants and look for corrosion in the water distribution system. They will provide water quality reports upon request.

• County health departments will usually conduct a bacteriological test and inorganic tests on private water supplies.

• Private testing laboratories are listed in the yellow pages of the telephone book; make sure they are certified by your state health department.

• Local engineering firms may test water for certain contaminants.

• Water treatment companies and plumbing supply stores may offer certain tests in your home for free. However, it is a good practice to have a certified testing laboratory verify the test results before purchasing a water treatment system from the company that conducted the free test.

6. WHEN AND HOW DO YOU COLLECT YOUR WATER SAMPLE?

Transparency #13 Collecting Test Samples
Some contaminants may be present only during part of the year. To assess the year-round safety of your drinking water, you must collect the sample when contaminants are most likely to be present. Coliform bacteria and nitrates are most likely to be found during wet weather; so late spring and early summer are the best times to test for these. Pesticides are likely to be present just after they are applied; late spring and early summer are the best times to test for these, also.

Transparency #14 Sampling Instructions
Before collecting water for testing, contact the laboratory or agency which will perform the test. It should provide you with a set of instructions and a bottle in which to collect the sample. Use the containers provided, and carefully follow the instructions given for collecting, preserving and handling water samples. Instructions may vary depending upon the type of test being conducted. Samples for coliform bacteria testing must be collected using sterile containers and under sterile conditions. Some procedures require letting water run from an inside faucet (aerator removed) for several minutes before filling the sample containers. Other instructions, such as for lead tests, ask you to collect samples in the morning, after water has been confined in the pipes overnight. Sometimes the laboratory will send a trained technician to collect and/or analyze the sample in your home. Ask if this service is available, since you may obtain better samples and therefore more reliable test results.

The laboratory will conduct the tests and return a report indicating what, if any, contaminants exceed minimum standards. Many testing laboratories will also recommend the type of water treatment system needed to correct the water quality problem.

Keep a record of all your water test results as a reference for future testing. Even slight changes in contaminant concentrations may be indicators of new water problems you may not detect yourself. By comparing recent test results with original results, you may discover that a change in treatment is needed or that a treatment device is not working as it should.

The general sampling instructions that follow are suitable for many tests, including nitrate and bacteria.

1. The sampling bottle or container should be clean and sterile, with nothing but the water to be sampled coming in contact with the inside or cap of the bottle.

2. Flush the water line leading to the tap. Remove the aerator screen from the faucet and open the tap to full flow. Let it run until water arrives from the well (usually signaled by a drop in temperature).

3. Reduce the flow to a pencil-sized stream. Open the container, fill to the level indicated and replace the cap immediately to preserve volatile compounds in the water and prevent atmospheric contamination.

4. Many tests require that the sample be received at the laboratory within a certain time period to insure accurate results. Coliform bacteria samples must be received with 24 hours after collection. If the sample cannot be mailed or transported immediately, refrigerate it (do not freeze) and get it to the lab as soon as possible. Note: When samples are collected from streams, lakes, ponds, etc., representative samples can be obtained by first mixing samples which have been collected at several different sampling points and then taking a separate sample from this supply.

Transparency #15 Understanding Water Results
Laboratory reports may be difficult to understand. Most companies send a cover letter explaining the report in nontechnical terms and also send the actual analysis sheet. Call the testing laboratory or your Cooperative Extension Service if you need help with interpretation.

The results of an inorganic analysis are recorded in figures representing milligrams per liter, which are equivalent to parts per million (parts of materials per million parts of water). Parts per million may be converted to grains per gallon by dividing by 17.1.

Specific conductance--Also called conductivity, this is a measure of all the dissolved constituents in solution and is also referred to as the salinity, salt content, the total mineral content, or "alkali" content. Due to the many different constituents that make up the total mineral content, it is difficult to set a standard for human consumption. Conductivities range from less than 2 for distilled water to more than 2000 for highly saline waters.

Nitrate plus Nitrite--Levels greater than 10.0 mg/1 pose an immediate threat to infants under six months of age because they may lead to a blood poisoning known as methemoglobinemia. Nitrate in well water may indicate contamination from agricultural runoff or septic systems.

Fluoride--A fluoride concentration between 0.7 to 1.5 mg/1 is effective in the prevention of dental caries. Excessive fluoride (greater than 2.4 mg/1) may produce fluorosis (mottling of the teeth). The degree of fluorosis generally increases as fluoride concentration increases above 2.4 mg/1.

Hardness--In most water nearly all of the hardness is due to calcium and magnesium. Calcium and magnesium react with soap to form precipitates which increase soap consumption, and react with certain constituents to form scale. As a general rule, a value less than 60 is considered soft, and values above 200 are considered very hard.

Sodium--Sodium content may be of interest to persons on sodium restricted diets. Sodium restricted diets are essential in treating congestive cardiac failure, hypertension, renal disease, cirrhosis of the liver, toxemia of pregnancy, and Meniere's disease. If you feel this may be applicable to you or members of your household, it is recommended that physicians be informed of the sodium content.

Alkalinity--The alkalinity of a water is a measure of its capacity to neutralize acids and is due primarily to the presence of bicarbonates. The acceptable alkalinity for municipal water supplies is generally between 30 and 500 mg/1 as CaCo3, but there are many water supplies above and below these limitations. Waters with alkalinity greater than 500 mg/1 as CaCo3 have objectionable tastes.

Iron--More than about 0.3 milligrams per liter of iron stains laundry and utensils reddish brown. Larger quantities cause unpleasant taste and favor growth of iron bacteria but do not endanger health. Excessive iron may also interfere with the efficient operation of exchange - silicate water softeners.

Chloride--chloride salts in excess of 100 mg/1 give a salty taste to water. When combined with calcium and magnesium, chloride may increase the corrosive activity of water. It is recommended that the chloride content should not exceed 250 mg/1.

Sulfate--sulfate in water containing calcium forms hard scale in steam boilers. In large amounts, sulfate in combination with other constituents gives a bittern taste to water. concentrations above 250 mg/l may have a laxative effect, but 500 mg/l is considered safe.

Lead--Drinking water may leach lead from soldered joints or old lead pipes. It is always a good idea to let a faucet run for a minute or two before drawing water for drinking or cooking. The EPA has set an action level of 0.015 mg/L Lead in public water supplies.

This analysis gives information relative to the chemical quality of the water and has no significance as far as the sanitary features are concerned.

If you have any questions, please call your local Cooperative Extension Center.