Two yearly tests catch the problems a well owner cannot taste
Nitrate and coliform are the two tests New Jersey well owners should run every year, along with pH. The nitrate limit is 10 mg/L, and EPA warns that infants below six months "could become seriously ill" above it.
Compiled from the sources listed at the end. Sources checked .
The state health department, EPA, CDC and the county all ask for a yearly look. CDC adds that the work should go to a state-certified lab. If there is a baby in the house, a current nitrate number is worth having before you mix formula from the tap.
What have Ocean County wells shown?
Few failures on either, in a count that is old now. NJDEP's July 2008 report, covering September 2002 to April 2007, gives the county figures below. A low county rate does not clear your well.
Ocean County wells over the limit, 2002 to April 2007
Nitrate0.5%
Coliform or E. coli0.3%
3,656 wells tested. NJDEP report, 2008.
How far should the septic system be from my well?
State rules set minimums. Under N.J.A.C. 7:9A-4.3, a septic tank must sit at least 50 feet from a well. A disposal field must sit 100 feet away, which may be cut to 50 feet with a qualifying watertight or sealed casing. A building sewer must be 25 feet away. Know where yours are; on a small sandy lot, the answer may be closer than you would like. Our story on septic in sand picks that up.
What if the result comes back bad?
An acute failure brings a 24-hour notice from the lab, to whoever ordered the test and to the health authority. After that, the state's list runs from retesting and treatment to septic repair, a new or deeper well, or public water. Which applies depends on the cause, so talk it through with the health department. Read the result with the others in our report story. After a flood, the flood page comes first.
Also asked
Who should take the sample?
For a sale, the lab or its representative samples, and a certified lab does the analysis. For your yearly check, follow the bottle instructions the lab gives you, since a careless sample can show bacteria that are not in the well.
Can well water pass one year and fail the next?
Yes. EPA says repairs, nearby construction and flooding all call for a fresh test, and one good year says nothing about the next.