My Water Well Results 2021

After the data transposition was corrected, the findings of my water analysis can be seen below. None of the chemicals or bacteriological indicators tested for exceeded U.S. EPA SDA recommended levels. This was a happy, but not unexpected result since this was the 15th  year in a row I have tested my water. However, when I first received my results the findings for fluoride and nitrate had been transposed. Since neither of those items should have had a sudden change of that magnitude in this geology. I did not believe it and contacted the Program Coordinator, Erin Ling, at the Virginia Household Water Quality Program, Biological Systems Engineering Department at Virginia Tech to investigate and verify. The transposition error was found and my report and 62 others were corrected.  

I test my drinking water at least once every year.  In the first few years that I owned this well I tested for all the primary and secondary contaminants in SDW act as well as a suite of pesticides using a certified laboratory. When we bought our home I tested the well using a certified laboratory and having the laboratory personnel draw the samples. I wanted data I could later use in court if I ever had to. For the certified data completed on a rush basis I ended up spending  a lot of money because I could only negotiate a 10 day contingency period and had to pay a huge premium for that rush. Still, I did not test for everything, nobody could afford to (I think there are 80,000 or more known chemicals).

Why was testing the water so important to me, that it was our one contingency. I wanted to make sure that the well was drawing from a groundwater aquifer that was not contaminated. While you can treat, you cannot really "fix" groundwater.  In addition, I wanted a well that was fine without any need for water treatment to address naturally occurring contaminants. I ended up testing for all the contaminants in the Safe Drinking Water Act and for a group of common pesticides because the home was on the site of a former farm.   

I tested for Bacteria (Total Coliform and E-Coli), 19 heavy metals and minerals including lead, iron, arsenic and copper (many which are naturally occurring, but can impact health); 6 other inorganic compounds including nitrates and nitrites (can indicate fertilizer residue or animal waste); 5 physical factors including pH, hardness, TDS, alkalinity; 4 Trihalomethanes (THMs) and 47 Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOCs) including Benzene, Methyl Tert-Butyl Ether (MTBE) and Trichloroethene (TCE). Organochlorine pesticides, herbicides and PCBs. 

There was no treatment equipment in the house, so I was able to do only one set of water tests (thank goodness). Always test the raw water so that you know what you are buying, What you can live with in terms of water treatment equipment is really a personal decision. I preferred to have water that was not in need of any treatment and was a little hard because I like the taste of hard water (and soft water is often associated with slightly acidic water). I was more willing to renovate the kitchen than treat the water. It took me 10 years to get around to renovating the kitchen, but that whole time I've remained happy with my water.