Water Testingand Interpreting Your Results

If you’re like many Alaskans, your family’sdrinking water comes from a private, on-sitewell-your well. The health and well-being ofyour family depends in a large part on thequality of water from that well. Dailyactivities of those near your well have adirect impact on the quality of drinkingwater. To protect that water, your actionsshould minimize any risk to any surroundingwells. Periodically checking your watersupply will assure you that your efforts havebeen successful and the water your family isdrinking is safe.

Which Tests?

Water tests come in a variety of sizes andoptions. You can test your water for just afew indicators, or for a comprehensiveanalysis. As with all things, the more youask for, the more it will cost you.

When deciding which tests are appropriatefor you, make sure the most importantindicators for your situation are selected,and that costs are kept reasonable. Fre-quently, labs will group the most commonhousehold tests into a “package” for conve-nience. For an accurate assessment of thequality of your water, have it tested by acertified testing lab.

The following four tests address the mostcommon and serious health concerns, andindicated the possibility of a contaminatedwater supply.

NITRATESWhat is it? Nitrates are a major componentof fertilizer and wastewater. They alsoresult from the breakdown of organic matterburied in the soil. Excess nitrates in drink-ing water could be the result of a number ofthings: the overuse of fertilizers close to thewell; the presence of septic effluent in the

groundwater supplies caused by a failed orfailing septic system or inadequate dilutionor separation between the system and thewell; or runoff containing animal wastesclose to the well.

Drinking water that has high levels of nitratecan cause a serious illness in infants underthe age of six months. This condition iscalled methemoglobinemia or “blue baby”syndrome, and can result in death.

Acceptable Levels? Water with nitratelevels above 10 parts per million (ppm)nitrate as nitrogen (mg/l NO3-N), should notbe given to children under the age of sixmonths, or pregnant women. If your waterhas nitrate levels above 10 ppm, consultyour physician before using the water forany drinking water purposes.

Treatment Options? Nitrate is not readilyremoved by filtration or other commonhome water treatment systems. The bestmethod for limiting nitrate in well water isby controlling nearby sources of nitrate.

BACTERIAWhat is it? Bacteria occur naturally in theenvironment. While some are not harmfulto human health, others such as fecalbacteria present a very serious health risk.Fecal bacteria belong to a group of bacteriacalled coliform bacteria. Labs routinely testfor coliform bacteria to determine if yourdrinking water has been contaminated withsurface runoff wastewater. Wastewater notonly contains bacteria, but may also containother microorganisms such as viruses andprotozoa that are associated with severeillnesses.

Since not every bacteria can be reasonablytested, labs routinely test for coliformbacteria as an indicator of the presence of

Methemoglobinemia“Blue Baby Syndrome”When infants ingestnitrate, the nitrate isconverted to nitrite inthe body. Nitrites inter-fere with the blood’sability to carry oxygen,and the infant appearsslightly “blue.”

by Meg BurgettWater Quality Program Assistant

Alaska Cooperative Extension

this type of contamination. This test is usedto indicate the “potability” of drinkingwater. Coliform bacteria enter the environ-ment through the discharge of untreatedwaste or runoff containing animal and/orhuman wastes.

Bacteria is most commonly a problem insurface waters. Bacteria, protozoa andviruses can cause severe illness if ingested.Generally not a problem in groundwatersources (i.e. wells), it’s presence couldsignal a real threat.

Acceptable Level? If your drinking watertests positive for coliform bactera, otherorganisms may be present also. You shouldtake immediate steps to treat your water. Toprevent illness, drinking water should becompletely free of coliform bacteria.

Treatment Options? Bacteria can only bekilled by disinfection (such as chlorine-more for cloudy water, less for clear, 8-10drops/gallon), or boiling the water forseveral minutes (3-5 minutes) prior todrinking. Filtration can help improve theperformance of disinfectants by reducingthe numbers of micro-organisms, and byremoving sediments that interfere with thedisinfection process. Filtration alonecannot generally remove all microorganismsand should not be considered completelyeffective.

ARSENIC

What is it? Natural ore deposits of arse-nopyrite, a gold bearing mineral, mayrelease arsenic to groundwater underanaerobic (no oxygen) conditions. Somestream sediments have also been found tocontain arsenic, particularly those drainingthrough placer mine tailings deposits.

Naturally occurring arsenic has been foundin groundwater wells in the Fairbanks area,on the Seward and Kenai Peninsulas andSouthcentral Alaska around Wasilla. It is ahighly toxic contaminant and listed as ahazardous material. A suspected carcino-gen, it is also a teratogen—capable ofcrossing the placental membrane into themetabolic system of unborn children. Theactual toxicity to humans varies. Because it

is slow to leave the body, arsenic is acumulative substance.

Acceptable Levels? The maximum levelfor arsenic in drinking water is set at 0.01(parts per million). (EPA Jan. 2006)

Treatment Options? Arsenic can beremoved from drinking water by a numberof available technologies, the choice ofwhich depends on the amount of water to betreated, the amount of arsenic present, andthe presence of other contaminants.

Other water problems.

Your water may contain other substancesthat while not dangerous to your health, cancause objectionable tastes or odors, orstaining of appliances and fixtures. If thesequalities are not desirable to your family,home treatment systems can eliminate anyof these problems. To ensure that you selectthe appropriate equipment for your home,the level of a number of minerals needs tobe determined.

IRONWhat is it? Excess iron in groundwatersupplies comes from the parent material ofthe soil around the well. It can cause ametallic taste, stain clothing and fixtures,and promote the growth of iron bacteria inthe water system.

Iron is not considered toxic, but affects theappearance and palatability of the drinkingwater.

Acceptable Levels? An upper limit of 0.3ppm of iron has been set for drinking water.

Treatment Options? Depending uponconcentrations, iron can be removed bywater softeners, or an iron filter with agreensand media and potassium permangan-ate as a regenerant.

MANGANESEWhat is it? Like iron, manganese originatesfrom the soil around a well. It typicallyproduces black staining and can give wateran off-taste. Manganese is not consideredtoxic but does affect the appearance andpalatability of the water.

Surface WaterA few Alaskans, especiallyin rural areas, use surfacewater for their family’ssource of water. If you usesurface water, you need tohave a good watertreatment system thatincludes disinfection andfiltration, to be sure yourwater is safe to drink.Check with your localwater treatment companiesfor different kinds ofsurface water systems, orcontact the U.S. EPA for acopy of their publication,“Manual of Individual andNon-Public Water SupplySystems,” for a descriptionof surface water treatmentmethods.

Sometimes, a well can alsohave surface waterinfluence. This means thatthe water on the surface isin direct contact with thegroundwater supply.There are no hard and fastguidelines for determiningwhen a well is surfacewater influenced. How-ever, shallow wells (lessthan 30 feet) and wellsclose to surface watersources (less than 100 feetto the lake or creek) aremore at risk of contamina-tion by disease-causingmicro-organisms fre-quently found in surfacewater. The quality ofsurface water suppliesfluctuates much more thanthat of groundwater (wellwater) supplies. It isaffected by changes intemperature, algal blooms,amount of rainfall andrunoff, and the activities inthe watershed. If yourwell is shallow or close toa surface water source,you should have it testedby a certified laboratory todetermine if it is surfacewater influenced, or installa water treatment systemthat includes disinfectionand filtration.

Acceptable Levels? An upper limit of 0.05ppm manganese has been set for drinkingwater supplies.

Treatment Options? Again, dependingupon concentrations, manganese can beremoved by water softeners, or an iron filteras described above.

HARDNESSWhat is it? Hard water comes from el-evated levels of calcium, magnesium andother similar substances found in the soilaround a well. Hard water will tend todeposit calcium carbonate (limestone) scalein plumbing systems, particularly on hotwater or boiler heating elements. Soft watertends to be corrosive, dissolving metal pipesand fittings.

Acceptable Levels? There is no toxicityassociated with hardness and no healthstandard has been established by the envi-ronmental regulatory agencies.

Treatment Options? Water softeners offerthe best treatment method for hard orsoft water.

HYDROGEN SULFIDE

What is it? Hydrogen sulfide can bepresent in ground water containing sulfurunder anaerobic (no oxygen) conditions. Itis also the product of a bacterial reaction inthe presence of sulfate.

Hydrogen sulfide gives water a “rotten egg”taste and odor and is often more noticeablein hot water than cold water. In drinkingwater supplies it is normally present only at“nuisance” levels.

Acceptable Levels? Like hardness, nohealth standard has been established by theenvironmental regulatory agencies for thiselement.

Treatment Options? Hydrogen sulfide canbe converted back to sulfate by any oxidantsuch as dissolved air, chlorine, or potassiumpermanganate used to regenerate iron filters.If air is used, the water must be detained in atank and aerated with a diffuser similar to anaquarium. If the hydrogen sulfide is being

produced by bacteria growing in the plumb-ing or treatment system, a thorough disinfec-tion with chlorine is normally required toeliminate the growths.

Testing Frequency

Drinking water supplies should be tested forbacteria and nitrate at least once a year. Theother tests discussed here, should be maderegularly (every three years or so).

Events that occur near your drinking waterwell may indicate a need to have additionaltests performed on your water. If your wellis located near a fuel oil spill (this wouldalso include any petroleum products), itwould be advisable to have your watertested for Volatile Organic Chemicals(VOCs). A less expensive test, Total Petro-leum Hydrocarbon or TPH, will also detectthe presence of spilled fuel oil. Have yourwater supply checked if you have drilled asecond well or changed the pump or plumb-ing. Also have the water supply tested ifthere is new, or increased activity in yourarea that has the potential to contaminate awater supply.

For more information:

If you have more questionsconcerning your drinking water or formore information on this subject,contact your local offices of theCooperative Extension Service (www.uaf.edu/ces/) or AK Dept.of Environmental Conservation(ADEC). For a listing of certifiedwater test labs in Alaska, check theADEC website at:http://www.dec.state.ak.us/eh/dw/index.htmFor an excellent reference on this topic,check out Plain Talk About Drinking Water:Questions and Answers about the Water youDrink by Dr. James Symons.

The following table gives a subjectiveinterpretation of relative hardnesslevels using the two most commonunits of measure for hardness.

Relative ppm grains/Hardness (as CaCO3) gallonsoft 0 - 75 0 - 4.39mod. hard 75 - 150 4.39 -8.77hard 150 - 300 8.77-17.54very hard >300 >17.54

Units of MeasureThe most commonlyused unit of measure forwater tests is milligramsper liter (mg/l). Gener-ally speaking, this isequal to one part permillion (ppm)—one partcontaminant to onemillion parts water.Some toxins are reportedin even smaller units,parts per billion (ppb).

(For a little perspective,one ppm would beapproximately equal toone or two grains ofsugar dissolved in a bathtub full of water)

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service Programs are available to all without regard to race, color, age, sex, creed, national originor disability and in accordance with all applicable federal laws. Provided in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, incooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Dr. Anthony T. Nakazawa, Director, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Alaska Fairbanks.

ALASKA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION OFFICES

Anchorage ............................................ (907) 786-63002221 E. Northern Lights Blvd., #118 fax 786-6312Anchorage, AK 99508-4143

Bethel 4-H Office .................................. (907) 543-2088P.O. Box 388 fax 543-2083Bethel, AK 99559

Delta Junction District .......................... (907) 895-4215Jarvis Bldg. fax 895-4210P.O. Box 349Delta Junction, AK 99737

Fairbanks State Office .......................... (907) 474-7246University of Alaska Fairbanks fax 474-6971P.O. Box 756180Fairbanks, AK 99775-6180

Fairbanks—Tanana District ................. (907) 474-15301000 University Ave., Room 138 fax 474-6885Old U-Park SchoolP.O. Box 758155Fairbanks, AK 99775-8155

Juneau District ..................................... (907) 465-87491108 “F” Street, Suite 130 fax 465-8742Juneau, AK 99801

Nome—Northwest District .................... (907) 443-2320Box 400—Northwest Campus fax 443-2150Nome, AK 99762

Palmer—Copper River/Mat-Su District ... (907) 745-3361809 South Chugach Street, Suite # 2 fax 745-5479Palmer, AK 99645

Palmer State Office ................................ (907) 746-9459533 E. Fireweed Avenue fax 746-2677Palmer, AK 99645

Soldotna—Kenai Peninsula District ..... (907) 262-582443961 K-Beach Road, Suite A fax 262-3939Soldotna, AK 99669-9728

Tanana Chiefs Conference .................. 1-800-478-6822122 1st Avenue phone (907) 452-8251 ext 3248Fairbanks, AK 99701 fax 459-3936

HotlinesEnergy & Building ...............................1-800-478-8324Food Safety & Preservation ................1-888-823-3663

Visit the Alaska Cooperative Extension Web site atwww.uaf.edu/ces or 1-877-520-5211

If you are located in the city ofSitka call ...............................................(907) 747-6065

If you are in the following areas:Aleutians, Kodiak, Sitka, or Southern Southeastcall toll free ....... 1-877-4UA-FACE (1-877-482-3223)