If you are on a public water system, your drinking water is tested regularly to ensure it is safe and free from harmful contaminants.
If you are served by a well or other individual water system, when did you last have your water tested?
That springs and surface water sources are subject to contamination from wildlife as well as runoff from agricultural activities and other pollutants?
The Madison County Health Department’s Individual Water System Program continues to provide free water testing services to eligible owners of residential wells, and other small individual onsite water systems serving households in Madison County.
Notable findings from the water quality tests conducted include an alarming 44 percent of water systems testing positive for coliform bacteria, an indicator that the water system is vulnerable to contamination.
Arsenic was detected in 27 percent of the home water systems tested, with six water sources exceeding the maximum recommended level for arsenic in drinking water.
The risk of contamination of your individual onsite water system depends on several factors, including — how the well was constructed, where it is located and if adequate separation exists from sources of contamination (septic systems, agricultural activity, surface water, etc.
Your water quality depends on your local environment, which can affect the quality of the water source from which you draw your water.
Madison County Health Department recommends testing your individual water system: • Yearly for total coliform bacteria and nitrate • Whenever you notice a change in taste or color of the water • After working on the water system • If you notice the well cap is not secure.
If you notice surface water standing around the base of the well, call Madison County Health Department’s Individual Water Testing Specialist at (315) 366-2526 or go online at www.healthymadisoncounty.org to learn about our individual water program, testing, and other services.