Where can I get my well water tested?
Contact your county or state health department or check with your State Certification Officer for a list of state certified laboratories in your area that do water testing. The cost will vary, depending on the laboratory and the test(s), but people usually consider the cost to be reasonable.
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How important is groundwater?
What is groundwater?
Water Quality of groundwater used for public supply in principal aquifers of the western United States
Groundwater provides nearly half of the Nation’s drinking water. As the Nation’s population grows, the importance of (and need for) high-quality drinking-water supplies increases. As part of a national-scale effort to assess groundwater quality in principal aquifers (PAs) that supply most of the groundwater used for public supply, the U.S....
Rosecrans, Celia Z.; Musgrove, MaryLynn
The quality of our Nation's waters: Water quality in principal aquifers of the United States, 1991-2010
About 130 million people in the United States rely on groundwater for drinking water, and the need for high-quality drinking-water supplies becomes more urgent as our population grows. Although groundwater is a safe, reliable source of drinking water for millions of people nationwide, high concentrations of some chemical constituents can pose...
DeSimone, Leslie A.; McMahon, Peter B.; Rosen, Michael R.
The quality of our Nation's waters: factors affecting public-supply-well vulnerability to contamination: understanding observed water quality and anticipating future water quality
As part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program, a study was conducted from 2001 to 2011 to shed light on factors that affect the vulnerability of water from public-supply wells to contamination (referred to hereafter as “public-supply-well vulnerability”). The study was designed as a follow-up to earlier...
Eberts, Sandra M.; Thomas, Mary Ann; Jagucki, Martha L.
Tracking and forecasting the Nation’s water quality - Priorities and strategies for 2013-2023
Water-quality issues facing the Nation are growing in number and complexity, and solutions are becoming more challenging and costly. Key factors that affect the quality of our drinking water supplies and ecosystem health include contaminants of human and natural origin in streams and groundwater; excess nutrients and sediment; alteration of...
Rowe, Gary L.; Gilliom, Robert J.; Woodside, Michael D.
The quality of our Nation's waters-Nutrients in the Nation's streams and groundwater, 1992-2004
National Findings and Their ImplicationsAlthough the use of artificial fertilizer has supported increasing food production to meet the needs of a growing population, increases in nutrient loadings from agricultural and, to a lesser extent, urban sources have resulted in nutrient concentrations in many streams and parts of aquifers that exceed...
Dubrovsky, Neil M.; Burow, Karen R.; Clark, Gregory M.; Gronberg, JoAnn M.; Hamilton, Pixie A.; Hitt, Kerie J.; Mueller, David K.; Munn, Mark D.; Nolan, Bernard T.; Puckett, Larry J.; Rupert, Michael G.; Short, Terry M.; Spahr, Norman E.; Sprague, Lori A.; Wilber, William G.
Pesticides in the nation's streams and ground water, 1992-2001 - a summary
Gilliom, Robert J.; Hamilton, Pixie A.
Ground water and the rural homeowner
As the salesmen sang in the musical The Music Man, "You gotta know the territory." This saying is also true when planning to buy or build a house. Learn as much as possible about the land, the water supply, and the septic system of the house before buying or building. Do not just look at the construction aspects or the beauty of the home and...
Waller, Roger M. What is ground water?
Clark, David W.; Briar, David W.
How Well Do You Know Groundwater
Groundwater, which flows out of sight through aquifers beneath our feet, is one of the Nation’s most important natural resources. In recognition of National Groundwater Awareness Week, March 5–11, 2017, here’s an opportunity to put your knowledge of this vital resource to the test!
Potential Corrosivity of Untreated Groundwater in the United States
- Corrosive groundwater, if untreated, can dissolve lead and other metals from pipes.
- National maps have been prepared to identify the occurrence of potentially corrosive groundwater in the U.S.
- These findings have the greatest implication for the 44 million people dependent on domestic wells for drinking water.
Glass of drinking water - municipal water use
Stock photo
A young girl drinks water, which likely originated from groundwater
A young girl drinks water, which likely originated from groundwater sources.
The USGS is near the midpoint of a complex undertaking to survey the quality of the nation’s largest drinking-water resource. From 2012 – 2023, the USGS is assessing groundwater throughout the country through extensive sampling. The latest results from five regional aquifers are now
...
Sampling a well in the Papio-Missouri Natural Resources District
Drinking water from tap
The quality of the water we drink can potentially impact our health. The USGS has several programs and cooperative projects that characterize the quality of selected rivers and aquifers used as sources of drinking water to community water systems in the United States.
A Scientist Working in a Laboratory Measuring Pharmaceuticals in Water
A PhD fellow from the University of York measuring pharmaceutical concentrations in samples collected from the Rivers Foss and Ouse, United Kingdom, during her work at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Laboratory. A new study evaluated
...
Nich Benson - Lab Notes
Nich Benson - Lab Notes
Acidifying a Drinking Water Quality Sample for MTBE Analysis
Sample collected from Madison Springs Hut in the White Mountains (~ 5,000 ft above sea level).
USGS scientist Dan Riddle processing water-quality samples from a well
USGS scientist Dan Riddle processing water-quality samples from a well in Nevada.