Free well water testing offered in Vermillion County
Jun. 7—NEWPORT, Ind. — The Vermillion County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) offers a unique opportunity for Vermillion County residents to have their private wells tested at no charge. The water samples will be collected on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, at the Vermillion County Fairgrounds in conjunction with the 4-H Fair. The confidential results will be sent directly from the lab to the participants.
All water samples will need to be collected in special bottles available beginning June 1 at the SWCD office and Vermillion County Public Library in Newport. The water will be tested for nitrates, total coliform/E. coli. and metals, which include copper, arsenic and lead. The filled bottles and registration materials can be returned to either the SWCD office during the afternoon of June 23 or to the Vermillion County Fair from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Landowners are responsible for monitoring the quality of their private wells. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that the water be tested annually, and the tests need to be performed by a certified lab. Water absorbs minerals, organic materials and organisms as it moves through the air and soil. Therefore, taste and odor are not always indicators of water quality. Contaminated water can taste and smell fine, while unpleasant-tasting or smelling water can be safe to drink or use.
Even if you have tested your well recently, the EPA recommends that you should have it tested again if there are known problems with well water in your area, you have experienced problems near your well (i.e., flooding, land disturbances, and nearby waste disposal sites) or you notice a change in the water (i.e., taste, color or odor). They also recommend that you test the water after any repairs are made to your well system.
Testing for total coliform/E. coli checks for bacteria contamination. Bacteria contamination affects all water users but has a more significant impact on small children. Its presence causes symptoms such as diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid fever, urinary tract infections and flu-like abdominal pain. In addition, people have been known to die from drinking contaminated water. A tested water sample will return either a "yes" or "no" on whether it is contaminated.
Bacteria contamination of well water usually comes from the ground surface, either from cracks forming in the well casing and cap allowing flowing water to enter the well or when the well becomes submerged when the area surrounding it has become flooded. Usually, bacterial contamination can be solved by treating the well with chlorine and repairing any cracks. However, a regularly contaminated well may need to be relocated to higher ground.
Nitrate, also being tested for, enters the water table from a nearby site and then spreads through the ground to the private well. Small children and pregnant and nursing women are particularly vulnerable to nitrate contamination. Symptoms of nitrate contamination include chocolate-colored blood, headache, flushing of the skin, vomiting, dizziness, marked fall of blood pressure, collapse, coma and respiratory paralysis.
Nitrate contamination is reported as blank many parts per million (ppm) or milligrams per liters (mg/L). The EPA believes that exposure below 10 ppm (10 mg/L) will not cause health problems. Nitrate contamination requires special treatment to be removed, and options include ion exchange, distillation and reverse osmosis. Older, shallow wells are more susceptible to nitrate contamination.
For more information about the Vermillion Co. water testing event, contact the SWCD office at 765-492-3705 or vermillion@iaswcd.org.
