Clean, Safe & Drinkable: Protect Your Well Water

Is your well water safe to drink? Homeowners with private well systems should test their water annually to ensure it is safe for consumption and free of harmful bacteria and pollutants.

Why is it important to annually test your well water?

Throughout the Hudson Valley, water is supplied to homes from a town/city water supply or a private well. While the EPA regulates public water systems, it does not have the authority to regulate private wells. That means if you have well water there are no experts checking your water source and its quality before it is sent to your tap! Households relying on well-water should take special precautions to ensure their drinking water is safe for consumption. In addition to testing for hardness and pH levels, residents with well water systems should periodically have their water tested for bacteria and nitrates.

When should I test my water?

• Test drinking water immediately if you have no recent test results or any record of previous tests.
• Test drinking water for bacteria every year.
• Also test annually for nitrates if you live in an agricultural area or have an on-site septic system.
• Test if you notice any change in the taste, color or odor of your water.
• Test more than once a year in special situations: someone in the household is pregnant or nursing; there are unexplained illnesses in the family; your neighbors find a dangerous contaminant in their water; or there is a spill of chemicals or fuels into or near your well.
• Test after any flooding in or near the well, to determine if flood water carried bacteria or other contaminants in to the well system.

How else can I protect my ground water supply and well system?

• Ensure your well is properly capped. If your well is not capped your water source could be impacted by surface runoff including: pesticides, fertilizers, animal feces, road salts, oil & gasoline runoff from roadways – as well as animals and bugs that could crawl in your well and die (and breed bacteria!)
• Keep household chemicals and paint away from your well and dispose of them properly.
• Limit your use of pesticides and fertilizers.
• Be careful when you mow around your well so you don’t damage the well casing.

Want to ensure your well water is safe to drink? Call today to schedule with T.Webber.  The Check-Up includes:

• Onsite Water test, testing: hardness, pH, total dissolved solids, and Sulfur.
• Special Onsite Bacteria test – FREE!
• 36 Point Well System Inspection covering:
• Well pump and motor specifications
• Outside well head
• Well tank
• Electrical check
• General well health

T.Webber has been providing expert water quality & well system services throughout the Hudson Valley since 1989.  Our staff is available all day, every day to ensure your water is not only flowing as it should, but also is clean & healthy for consumption.