ASK DR. WATERS
www.PoconoParent Magazine.com • April / May 2008
It’s May Again, Do You Know Where Your Waters Been?
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nnual testing of your private well for bacteria is a great way to ensure your family’s good health. The young, the old, those pregnant and those with a weakened immune system are the most susceptible to bacteria contamination in their drinking water. Most states have strict construction standards for well drilling and operators are required to have a license, however, Pennsylvania has no requirements for well drillers and a license is not needed. If you own a private well then water quality testing should be important to you and your loved ones. There are contaminates in drinking water that have been linked to cancer and toxicity which of course poses a health threat to humans. In most cases contaminants have no taste, odor, or color. You can only find these pollutants by laboratory testing. It’s entirely up to you to know the quality of your water, there are no state requirements regarding the testing of private wells. When you have time, check out our website www.drwaters.org under “It’s May Again” to find out how easy it is to test your drinking water. The cost is around $25 to test for bacteria which is recommended at least annually. More extensive tests are available for an additional fee. Results will reveal the level at which any of the tested substances were found in your water sample. The mere presence of contaminants in well water does not necessarily imply that there is a problem. However, when levels exceed state or federal health standards, you should take steps to correct the situation. All water issues