Water Testing for Private Wells & Water Quality Information
WATER TESTING FOR PRIVATE WELLS
- 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)
- Use a stationary faucet head for the sample (i.e. NOT your kitchen sink!).
- Take off any screens attached to the faucet.
- Run the cold water for 5 minutes.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- PFAs & PFOs Information
- PFAS: A Guide to Help Protect Your Family's Health
- MassDEP Fact Sheet: PFAS in Drinking Water - Questions and Answers for Consumers
- Mass Department of Public Health: Information on PFAs in Drinking Water
Home Water Treatment Devices - Point of Entry and Point of Use Drinking Water Treatment
Interested in testing your water for PFAs? Currently Barnstable County Water Quality Lab does NOT conduct PFAs testing for residential properties (only public water supply wells). They are currently working on getting a program up and running. Envirotech Laboratories out of Sandwich does offer the testing for residential properties. If you are interested in the testing or have general questions for them, give them a call at 508-888-6460.
Important items to take note of:- The testing kits have to be picked up AND dropped off from their Sandwich location - 8 Jan Sebastian Dr., Unit 12, Sandwich MA 02563.
- The testing kits are VERY sensitive. Homeowners can conduct the test themselves, but Envirotech encourages the property owner to have Envirotech staff conduct the testing themselves. This helps ensure that it is done correctly the first time, therefore saving the property owner from the cost of retesting.
- As of 11/16/2022, the cost for PFAs testing is $495.00; the additional fee for having Envirotech staff conduct the test themselves is $65.00.
- The turn around time is 14-days.
- The testing itself is sub-contracted out through Envirotech.
- Nitrate/Nitrites: Consumer Fact Sheet
- Sodium
- Manganese
- Iron and Manganese