FREE PRIVATE WELL WATER TESTING Is the water in my well safe? To assess if your water is safe, you should have water samples collected from your well, and tested by a certified laboratory. Your drinking water may contain chemicals that you cannot see or smell. There is not one test that can detect every chemical, bacteria, or pathogen in existence. To know if a particular contaminant is in the water, you have to request that the laboratory test for that specific contaminant. How can my well water become polluted? Groundwater pollution can originate from various sources including: fertilizers, pesticides, septic systems, livestock waste, chemical spills, fuel from leaking underground tanks, and naturally occurring chemicals. Who is responsible for my private “domestic” well water? No government agency monitors the water quality of private wells. It is the responsibility of the owner or tenant to test and treat their water. Health agencies recommend that private domestic water well supplies be tested on an annual basis. How are samples collected and how will I get the results? 1. The well owner/tenant assists Community Water Center staff to locate the well and pressure tank. 2. Water from the well pressure tank may need to be drained by staff before sampling. 3. Water samples are collected by staff from a faucet as close to the well as possible. 4. Water samples are tested by a certified laboratory. 5. Well water test results are given to the well owner/tenant. 6. Well sampling and water testing are performed at no cost to the well owner. To have your domestic well water tested: Complete the participation agreement (other side of this form) by filling in the required information. We will contact you by telephone to schedule a time to collect samples from your well. CWC recommends that you provide your well construction information (Well Completion Report) to staff. References: Please note that information on this flyer was adapted from a flyer used by the GAMA Domestic Well Project of the State Water Resources Control Board. Some parts of the GAMA flyer were quoted directly. Our program is independent of the GAMA program. Contaminants Typically Tested Bacteria (Total Coliform and E. coli) Nitrate Arsenic Chromium Uranium Dibromochloropropane [DBCP] 1,2,3, Trichloropropane [123TCP]) Contact Information: If you have any questions or concerns regarding this project, please do not hesitate to contact the Community Water Center at (559) 7330219 or Gerardo Tinoco, Jr. at [email protected] (661) 3459976.