Guides
Every guide cites its sources and lists the date it was last checked. None of them can tell you whether your water is safe to drink. For that, test with a certified lab and talk to your health department.
- How to read your well water test resultsWhat iron, manganese, hardness, sulfur (H2S), pH, nitrate, coliform/E. coli, and arsenic numbers mean, compared with EPA and state limits, with sources.
- Arsenic in well water: the best way to test, and treatment optionsHow to test a private well for arsenic, what the 10 µg/L and 5 µg/L numbers mean, and which treatment types state agencies say work (and don't), with sources.
- Iron in well water: what to test, and what to buyHow to figure out what kind of iron problem you have, and which treatment Penn State Extension and Maine CDC match to each iron level, from softeners to greensand to chlorination with filtration. With sources.
- Whole-house vs. point-of-use filters for well water: which problems need whichWhen a well problem needs whole-house (point-of-entry) treatment and when a single-tap (point-of-use) unit is enough, based on what state agencies say about each contaminant. With sources.
- Best way to test well water: state lab, county health department, certified lab, or mail-in kitThe main ways to get a private well tested, what a full panel should include, how to take a sample so the result means something, and what to do with the report. With sources.
- Nitrate in well water: testing, infants, and treatment optionsWhy nitrate matters most for babies, which wells are most at risk, why boiling makes it worse, and the treatment types state agencies list. With sources.
- How often to test a private well: CDC and state schedules side by sideYearly, every 3–5 years, or just once. A side-by-side comparison of what CDC and the health and environment agencies in NH, ME, MI, PA, NJ and Union County, NC recommend, plus the events that should prompt a test. With sources.
- Uranium and radon in well water: testing and treatmentWhat the uranium, gross alpha and radium standards are, why radon in well water is mostly an air problem, how common radon is in New Hampshire wells, and the treatment types Maine CDC lists. With sources.
- Shock chlorinating a well: when it helps, how it's done, and retestingWhen agencies recommend shock chlorination, how often it actually clears bacteria, key safety points from state and county procedures, and the retest schedule. With sources.
Looking for local labs and contacts? See the county pages.