DuPage Officials: Test Your Well Water
WHEATON, Ill. (STMW) -- Officials in DuPage County are warning residents with private wells to have their well water tested yearly.
An annual test is recommended, or should be conducted whenever work is done on the well or plumbing, such as a hot water tank replacement, a release from the DuPage Health Dept. said.
The health department offers private well testing for a $35 fee, which includes testing for total coliform bacteria and nitrate screening. Test results are available within 72 hours.
Private well water should be tested more than once a year if there are recurrent incidents of gastrointestinal illnesses among household members or visitors or if there is a chance in the taste, odor or appearance of the well water.
An estimated 15 million American households get their water from private ground water wells, which are not subject to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations, the release said.
From 1971 to 2006, 54 percent of reported drinking water illness outbreaks were due to the use of untreated ground water or ground water deficiencies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More information can be found by calling the health department at (630) 682-7400 or at www.dupagehealth.org/environmental-health.
