Your well report has two kinds of limits, and they mean different things

A report under the Private Well Testing Act comes on NJDEP's form. Here is the state's own list of limits, in the order most owners will want to read it.

Which lines should I read first?

Read coliform, nitrate and the metals first, because those are about health. The rule's bacteria line is total coliform, with E. coli checked if that comes back positive. EPA's warning on nitrate is about babies under six months, who "could become seriously ill." Our nitrate and coliform brief stays on those two.

An acute failure moves fast: the lab has 24 hours to alert whoever ordered the test and local health officials. If someone else ordered yours, ask that person.

Why is my pH flagged when nothing is making me sick?

A flagged pH is a secondary finding, and in this part of New Jersey it is the common one. EPA lists low pH under nuisance effects: "bitter metallic taste; corrosion."

It matters anyway, because of what acid water does on the way to the tap. The state health department ties low pH to greater lead risk. Read a low pH together with the lead line and our story on acid water and copper. In NJDEP's Pinelands analysis of data through March 2014, 78.7% of 12,510 wells fell outside the range, almost all on the low side.

Iron and manganese sit in the same class. EPA ties iron to "reddish or orange staining" and manganese to "black staining." The iron and manganese brief picks those up.

Why does the lead line say 5 when I have heard 15?

Both numbers are true, for different samples, and the state test uses only the first. Your report's water ran for two minutes before it was bottled. The other number needs water that stood for hours. The lead brief goes through it.

What do gross alpha and mercury mean on this form?

Gross alpha is a screen for radioactivity, run within 48 hours because the reading is highest then and declines afterward. The report's limit is 15 pCi/L, but NJDEP starts paying attention at 5, and the radium story covers what follows.

Mercury appears because Ocean is one of the counties where the rule adds it. Statewide, NJDEP's 2008 report found 215 of 25,270 tested wells over the 2 ug/L limit from 2002 to 2007, and it saw "no obvious geographic patterns." A neighbor's clean result tells you little.

How did Ocean County wells do on past tests?

Past Ocean County failure rates were low on most lines, and gross alpha stood out. These counts are old. They come from NJDEP's July 2008 report on tests from September 2002 to April 2007, and we found no newer county table, so read them as history.

Pinelands wells, a different and later count through March 2014, ran higher on gross alpha at 14.4% over the limit. Barnegat Township, Lacey and Toms River are among the Ocean County towns with land in that area. In that same count, iron ran over 0.3 mg/L in 24.6% of wells, manganese over 0.05 mg/L in 13.0%, nitrate over 10 mg/L in 2.1% and mercury over 2 ug/L in 1.5%.

What should I do after a line comes back high?

Start by rereading which kind of limit it is, then talk to your local health agency. The state health department lists the usual paths: consider retesting, treatment, a new or deeper well, septic repair, or connecting to public water. If treatment goes in, have the water tested again afterward to see that it did the job. The health department said in January 2023 that the state has "no State regulations for water treatment professionals," so the lab's number is your check on any promise.

When do I test again?

Test yearly for the basics, on New Jersey's schedule. EPA and CDC also ask for yearly tests, adding total dissolved solids, and EPA says to test right away after flooding, nearby construction, well repair, or a change in odor, color or taste.

The schedule lists uranium for all state wells even though Ocean County's sale test leaves it out.