When testing deserves priority
- Before selecting or replacing treatment equipment
- When a well is new, repaired, flooded or has been out of service
- When taste, odor, color or clarity changes
- When household circumstances or local risks change
- When routine testing is due under applicable guidance
Symptoms are not a complete test. Some important contaminants do not reliably change taste, smell or appearance.
Build the test around the well
A test plan may consider microbial indicators, nitrate, minerals, metals, pH and location-specific concerns. The right panel depends on the well, household and local conditions. Consult your state program or a qualified laboratory rather than assuming a universal package is sufficient.
What happens after results arrive
- Confirm units, detection limits and any flagged results.
- Discuss health-related findings with the laboratory or appropriate authority.
- Identify technologies suited to the measured contaminant and concentration.
- Check flow rate, pressure, peak demand and space before sizing equipment.
- Plan verification testing and maintenance.