Water Testing for Private Wells & Water Quality Information

Water DropWATER TESTING FOR PRIVATE WELLS

Truro Health Department carries Barnstable County water test kits.  
PICK-UP
The following types of kits are available for pick-up Monday* through Friday from 8AM - 4PM:
  • Routine: includes Coliform Bacteria, pH, Conductivity, Iron, Copper, Sodium, Nitrates, and Manganese ($55.00)
  • Real Estate Package: includes Coliform Bacteria, pH, Conductivity, Iron, Copper, Sodium, Nitrate, Manganese and VOCs ($140.00)
  • Individual sample bottles (prices vary depending on sample type)
*Mondays our doors are closed to the public.  If you are in need of a testing kit, you can either call us and we will place one outside for you, or you can come to the door and buzz us and we will bring one up to you.
If you are in need of a Lead or Radon test, please call ahead as we have to order these specific bottles from the County.
 
Helpful Hints for Conducting a Water Test:
  1. Use a stationary faucet head for the sample (i.e. NOT your kitchen sink!).
  2. Take off any screens attached to the faucet.
  3. Run the cold water for 5 minutes.  
  4. The coliform bacteria bottle is taped: be sure when filling up this bottle that you don't touch the rim or the underside of the cap.
  5. For those doing the Real Estate Package: The Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) bottles are the brown glass vials.  There should be 4 in your package; two of them have water in them already.  Please leave this water in the vials and keep those vials with your kit.  The other two vials are empty and are the ones you are going to fill.  Have the water run at a SLOW stream.  Fill the bottles up on a slant and make sure that you "overfill" them so that all air bubbles have been pushed out.  If you have achieved this, you will see a meniscus (a meniscus is the curve in the upper surface of a liquid close to the surface of the container or another object, caused by surface tension).  Place the cap on the vial, this will push some water out of the bottle and help ensure that there are no air bubbles within the vial itself.  The lab cannot process VOC vials with air bubbles in them.
  6. As always, call us if you need any help with this process!

DROP-OFF

Truro is a pick-up location only; all bottles need to be dropped off with appropriate paperwork and payment to one of the following locations: 

  • Wellfleet Health Department: 220 West Main Street, Wellfleet MA; Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 8AM - 9:30AM. If you are using the Wellfleet Courier Service, you can only pay via check (made payable to Barnstable County)
  • Barnstable County Water Quality Laboratory: 3195 Main Street, Barnstable, MA; Samples are not accepted after 4:00 PM Monday through Thursday, and not after 12:00 PM on Friday

To find out more information regarding the Water Quality Lab and it's requirements including pricing, turn-around times, and tips on how to conduct water tests, click here or call them at 508-375-6605.


WATER QUALITY INFORMATION & FACT SHEETS