About 43 million Americans rely on private wells. Unlike public water systems, these wells have no EPA monitoring requirements. Nobody tests your water unless you do it yourself.
The CDC recommends annual testing at minimum. After flooding, repairs, or any change in taste or smell, test immediately. This checklist walks you through the right sequence based on your situation.
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Step 1: Baseline annual panel
Test at least once each year for:
- Total coliform and E. coli
- Nitrate/nitrite
- pH and hardness
- Region-specific metals (arsenic, manganese, iron)
Reference: Well water testing guide
Step 2: Trigger-based testing
Run immediate testing if any of these happen:
- Flooding near the well
- Well cap damage or plumbing repairs
- New taste, odor, or color change
- Household infant, pregnancy, or immune vulnerability
Related playbooks:
Step 3: Decide treatment path from results
| Result pattern | First treatment direction |
|---|---|
| Bacteria positive | Disinfection workflow and root-cause fix |
| Nitrate elevated | Reverse osmosis or distillation for drinking/cooking |
| Arsenic elevated | NSF 58 RO or adsorptive media validated for arsenic |
| Iron/manganese aesthetic and staining | Oxidation/filtration plus point-of-use drinking treatment as needed |
Step 4: Re-test after treatment changes
Any new treatment system should be validated by follow-up testing to confirm removal performance.