Water Testing CT: Spring time is a Great time to Test Your Water. The coming of spring is especially critical for individuals who rely on well water or a private well for their drinking water supply. Groundwater originates as precipitation, melting snow and spring rains generally provide the largest contribution of groundwater recharge to our aquifers each year.
Because recharge during this time can occur rapidly, bacterial contamination of wells is more likely to occur during this time of year. Some well owners may actually notice their well water change appearance or odor after large rain events or snowmelts.
Coliform bacteria tests are an easy way to determine whether your water supply is bacteriologically safe to drink. Coliform bacteria are common in soils and are not generally considered harmful to health, however; they are also found in human and animal waste. For this reason a coliform bacteria test is used as an indication of the sanitary condition of a water supply.
A sanitary water supply or properly constructed well should not contain any coliform bacteria; the presence of bacteria in well water indicates a pathway for potentially dangerous pathogens such as E. coli, a type of fecal coliform, to enter the water supply. If harmful bacteria or viruses are in fact present, a variety of illnesses could occur from drinking the water.
You should be testing your well water annually for coliform bacteria or any time you notice a sudden change in color, odor or taste. Think of a bacteria test for your well like going to the doctor for a check-up.
Spring, particularly during the spring thaw or heavy spring rains, is a good time to test because that is the time of year when wells are most vulnerable. Testing in the summer or fall every year will provide you a baseline measure of the sanitary condition of your well, but may not give you an accurate assessment of your wells ability to produce bacterialogically safe water year round.
In addition to coliform bacteria, there are a number of other contaminants that well owners should consider testing for. Some of these include human related contaminants such as nitrate and pesticides or naturally occurring contaminants such as arsenic.
