Environmental health experts recommend well testing yearly

Environmental health specialists in southeast Iowa would like to remind citizens about the importance of having wells tested.

Jeannine Wolf, Director of Environmental Health for Washington County, said consumers should have their well tested once every year. She recommends the well be tested in a different season every year: spring one year, fall the next and so on. This is to help evaluate which bacteria, if any, are getting into the well.

Anyone with a well who lives in Henry, Jefferson or Washington County is eligible for a free test. Wolf said this is thanks to the Grants to Counties (GTC) program. Each county is given a set amount to perform free water tests, perform well plugging and well rehabilitation. The test takes about five minutes, she said, and homeowners will receive results back in about a week.

Bruce Hudson, Environmental Health Coordinator for Henry County, said specialists in his department are testing for E. coli, nitrates, nitrites and bacteria. Once the readings come back, his team lets the homeowner know the results, good or bad.

In Washington County, specialists test about 200 wells a year for coliform bacteria, nitrates and arsenic. If bacteria is found, a second test will be performed.

'If they find bacteria in it, the only bacteria they're going to test for specifically is E. coli, because it is one of the indicator bacteria that there is sewage getting into the well water,” she said, adding the nitrate test is performed specifically to ensure the level is low enough that the water is safe for babies and children to consume.

Wolf said if the test comes back negative for bacteria and nitrates then the water is suitable for its intended purpose.

'That's not an all (clear). There's hundreds of different water tests you can do from chemicals to parasites, but it is good for what it's tested for,” she said.

Wolf said arsenic was found in wells in Cerro Gordo County a few years ago, prompting GTC to add it to the list of things to test for. No arsenic over the recommended level has ever been found in Washington County, she said. It can be detected in water because it is naturally occurring in the ground.

Dan Miller, Jefferson County Environmental Health Department Head, said specialists in Jefferson County test for coliform bacteria, E. coli bacteria, nitrates, arsenic and manganese. They perform anywhere from 30-50 tests year.

Miller said the arsenic and manganese tests are not performed on the same wells every year. Once the test has been done once, he said, it does not have to be tested again. Hudson seconded this, saying the arsenic test can only be done once through the lifetime of the well. In Henry County, when a customer requests an inspection, their well is looked up to see if an arsenic test has been performed. If not, they perform one.

Jefferson County Environmental Health also participates in a state well survey, he said. In addition to the usual tests, specialists perform other tests for things such as lead, copper and pesticides. These results are then sent to the state environmental health department.

If there is bacteria in the water, Wolf said the most common remedy is a shock chlorination. Once that is done, a specialist will test to make sure there is no bacteria in the chlorination. Two weeks later, the specialist will return, she said, and perform another test.

'What that means is we ensure the bacteria is gone, but in that two week span, if there's a problem the bacteria's going to come back. If there's not a problem the test will come back clean,” she said.

Problems could arise for multiple reasons, she said. The most common are plumbing lines being opened to work on or filters being put in place and a shock chlorination process not being followed through with. Miller said well owners also have the option of installing filtration systems for their well in addition to the chlorination process.

Although the specialist can tell the homeowner what the problem is they cannot require them to fix it, Miller said. The specialist is just the informer, not the enforcer.

'There are no regulations on private wells, unlike private water supplies that are regulated and have to go through lots of testing. Therefore it is up to the well owner to make sure the private well water is safe for drinking,” he said.

Hudson agreed, saying he feels it is important to have well tests performed because it's the best way to ensure those who use the well are consuming water that is safe to drink.

'You may get used to what you're drinking, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the person who comes to your house is used to drinking that so we just want to make sure they're cautious and they understand what's going on with their well,” he said.

Specialists can also help well owners with rehabilitating or plugging a well, Wolf said. In Washington and Jefferson County, owners can be reimbursed up to $1,000 for renovating a well, up to $500 for plugging the well and up to $300 for plugging a cistern.

Miller said reconstructing a well is recommended especially for older wells. They are more susceptible to hazards due to their age and if homeowners intend to use them, the state encourages them to consider reconstruction.

If the homeowner has no interest in using the well, state code requires it be plugged, he said. An unplugged well can be dangerous for animals, people or machinery as they could fall in. The casing around wells is not water-tight, he said, and could allow for surface contaminants to seep in and pollute ground water.

All three specialists agree that education is one of the most important factors in the process. A free online course is offered through The Private Well Class in conjunction with the University of Illinois. More information about the class can be found online at: privatewellclass.org.