Do you know what’s in your well water?

 

Prince William County Extension will be having a test your well water clinic next week.  Sign up now online 

Water samples will be tested for: iron, manganese, nitrate, lead, arsenic, fluoride, sulfate, pH, total dissolved solids, hardness, sodium, copper, total coliform bacteria and E. Coli bacteria. Sample kits will be $65  again this year. Registration and pre-payment must be online by going to https://tinyurl.com/PWVCE-2021VAHWQP by April 7th 2023. I had no trouble following the link and prepaying. You will receive a receipt and confirmation of registration from  the VCEPrograms email and a payment receipt from the Bursar at Va Tech.

The Prince William Drinking Water Clinic has 3 parts:

Attend a Kick-Off Meeting and Collect Testing Kit Materials, the online registration lets you select from 3 Kick-Off Options:

Option 1: In Person, Woodbridge: Board Chambers: Monday April 10th 7-8:30 p.m.

Option 2: In Person, Manassas: Jean McCoy Conference Room: Saturday April 8th 12-1:30 p.m.

Option 3: Online, through Zoom: Wednesday April 5th 11a.m. - 12p.m., This session will be recorded and available for later viewing, links for both will be emailed to registrants. The test kits for this online training option must be picked up at VCE-PW Office: April 10-11th 8a.m.-5p.m.

The Sample Drop Off: Wednesday, April 12th from 6:00-10 a.m. ONLY at the VCE-PW Office,8033 Ashton Ave., Suite 105, Manassas 20109 (follow signs to office).

Results Interpretation Meeting through (Zoom) on Monday, May 22nd, 7:00-9:00 p.m. There will be a live Zoom interpretation meeting co-hosted by VCE Household Water QualityCoordinator Erin Ling and VCE-PW staff to explain the report, include a discussion, and answerquestions. Zoom link and details will be emailed to all registrants.

The number of kits is limited. Pre-payment online is the only way to pay and guarantee you will get a kit. You must pay and register by April 7th. No refunds will be available. Household water quality is driven by geology, well construction and condition, nearby sources of groundwater contamination, and any water treatment devices and the condition and materials of construction of the household plumbing. To ensure safe drinking water it is important to maintain your well, test it regularly and understand your system and geology. If you have water treatment equipment in your home you might want to get two test kits to test the water before and after the treatment equipment to make sure you have the right equipment for your water and that it is working properly.

The chart below shows what we found in the 101 private wells tested in the first round of testing we did in Prince William County in 2022: