Prince William Water Well Clinic

Public water supplies are tested daily for contaminants.  Private wells are tested when you do it, and you should do it every year. The 2025 Virginia Household Water Quality Program Well Water Testing Clinic will be held in September this year.  You can register and pay for your kit online using the following link: https://tinyurl.com/VAHWQP-PW. If you wish to pay by cash or check, please bring your payment to the Virginia Cooperative Extension Office  in Manassas and see Elesha Young. ( 8033 Ashton Avenue, Suite 105, Manassas, VA 20109)

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 $70 this year. Registration and pre-payment must be online by going to https://tinyurl.com/VCE-PW-VAHWQP before all the spaces are filled. I had no trouble following the link and prepaying. For some reason you get receipts from the Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Bursar.

You have to go pickup your sample kit before the sampling date and take the sample according to the directions provided on the morning you will be dropping it off at the Extension office.

Sample Kit Pickup will be held on the following dates:

Saturday, September 13 from 10 AM - 11 AM: Independent Hill Library (14418 Bristow Road, Manassas, VA 20112) or

Monday-Friday, September 15-19 from 9 AM - 4 PM at the Extension office - VCE Prince William Office (8033 Ashton Avenue, Suite 105, Manassas, VA 20109). There will be extended pickup hours on Wednesday, September 17 from 4 PM-7 PM.

All water samples must be taken on Wednesday morning September 24^th 2025 and dropped off at the extension office 8033 Ashton Avenue, Suite 105, Manassas, VA 20109 from 6:30 AM-10 AM.

Sample Kits will include instructions on how to collect your well water samples. Once the samples are received by the laboratory, please allow approximately 5-6 weeks to receive your results. You will receive your results by email.

The number of kits is limited. Pre-payment online is the only way to guarantee you will get a kit. REFUND POLICY: No refunds will be given after 9/19/2025. Any refunds issued will incur a $5 processing fee. Refunds or Transfers to future programs will not be provided if you fail to either pick up your testing kit or drop off your sample on  the sample collection date listed above.

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. All participant information is kept strictly confidential

The chart below shows what was found in the  private wells tested test of testing  in Prince William County in 2024. If you have any questions you can contact the Virginia Cooperative Extension directly at (540) 231-3131.

You can also contact Virginia Cooperative Extension anytime by emailing vceprograms@mail.ext.vt.edu.