What You Need to Know About Testing Your Groundwater Well

If you rely on a groundwater well in California as your primary water source, it’s important you test the quality of that water on a regular basis to ensure it is safe for drinking and general use. The results of the test will allow you to determine if there are any problems with the water and what your best course of action is to resolve those problems. In addition, this testing will help you guarantee you are doing everything you can to protect your water from possible sources of contamination.

Even if you’re just using water for livestock watering or irrigation, it’s still important for you to perform these tests. Without regular testing, you will not be able to identify any problems that exist with the well water, ensure the water will be suitable for its intended use (especially if that use is drinking by people OR animals), track changes in the quality and character of the water over time and determine the effectiveness of any type of treatment system you have installed for your well water.

With all of this in mind, here are some considerations you should take into account when testing your groundwater well in California.

How to know if your water is safe to drink

The only way you can guarantee your water is safe for consumption is by getting it tested at a laboratory that is certified for testing drinking water. You will not be able to see any parasites, viruses or bacteria with the naked eye, so visual and even taste tests simply are insufficient for determining the quality of your drinking water. Harmful microbes might not affect the taste or appearance of the water, but can still cause immediate sickness if they have not been treated properly.

In other cases, these microbes or contaminants found in your water source might cause health problems that take years to develop. This means that if you don’t get your water tested, you could be drinking water for years seemingly without issue, but while slowly developing health problems that will manifest themselves down the road. This makes it imperative to get your water professionally analyzed.

Types of water tests to perform

As a general rule, you should test your well water at least once a year, as the character and quality of the water can always change over time. Your local health department or water lab can provide you with a variety of tests, including the following:

• Basic water potability tests, which look for coliform bacteria, various minerals and elements, dissolved solids and water hardness
• Coliform bacteria tests to find microorganisms that could potentially be harmful to your health
• Nitrate tests to find nitrates in groundwater that could be especially dangerous for young babies
• Tests for ions such as sodium, chloride, sulphane, manganese and iron, which can cause bad tastes or odors
• Sulfate tests to determine the presence of sulfates, which can cause gastrointestinal distress
• Fluoride tests to determine if the water has an excessive amount of fluoride
• Additional testing to find particular contaminants

For more information about testing your groundwater well in California, contact National Groundwater Surveyor Inc. today.