Well Testing

When it comes to quality testing well water, you can check for just about every compound known to man. The following information is based on the most common tests which homeowners, lenders and buyers are concerned with. More extensive testing can be completed, if theres a desire to confirm the presence of a particular compound.

The following water quality testing information is provided by Grants Pass Water Lab. All natural waters whether from surface or shallow ground sources are contaminated to some degree with bacteria. Generally, these bacteria are harmless to humans and essential to the breakdown of natural organic materials found in the water. However, when human or animal wastes pollute a water source, the water may contain microbiological organisms that can cause illness. These bacteria are difficult and time consuming to isolate and identify, and so microbiologists have developed the total coliform test to simplify the task.

Coliform bacteria are widely distributed in nature and are also found in the large intestine of humans and animals. Their presence in a water supply is used as an indicator of possible pollution, which may contain disease-causing organisms. The total coliform group can survive longer in water than most disease causing organisms and are easier to identify. The absence of total coliform is, therefore, considered evidence of bacteriological safe water. The laboratory used the multiple tube fermentation (MTF) method to estimate the degree of bacterial pollution of water. The water sample is divided into equal amounts and placed into 5 tubes where the water is cultured and analyzed for the presence of coliform bacteria. The results are reported as the number of tubes out of 5 that are positive for the presence of coliform bacteria, and the number of positive tubes provides an estimate of the degree of contamination.