WELL WATER AWARENESS: FIVE IMPORTANT TIMES TO TEST 

To ensure your well water supply is healthy and safe, invest in a certified water test. Spring is a great time to test well water because of the heavy and frequent rainfall. Here are five other important times to test your well water:

1.      Each spring, tests should be performed for coliform bacteria and nitrates.

2.      Before purchasing a new home or after any construction or remodeling on your existing home.

3.      After replacing pipes or any part of a well or pump system.

4.      In the early months of pregnancy and again after the baby is born.

5.      Often if you live near industrial sites.

Tips for taking a water sample:

• When sampling, you should let the water run for a minimum of five minutes before obtaining your sample.
• Make sure the sample container is completely sterile. Do not touch the inside of the bottle. 
•   Collect the sample from a point as close to the well as possible.
• Do not collect a water sample from a point after a water softener.
•  If the faucet used has an aerator on it, remove the aerator before taking the sample. Do not take the sample from a swing neck kitchen sink type faucet. Sanitize the faucet by flaming.
• The clock is ticking, so get your sample to the laboratory as soon as you can to avoid inaccurate results.

For more water testing information and sampling supplies, visit http://agsource.crinet.com/page248/Environmental or contact AgSource: