Contaminants in drinking water can come from many sources, both naturally occuring and human-caused. Water may look, taste and smell good, but many contaminants cannot be detected by our senses. Analysis conducted by a certified drinking water laboratory can detect very low levels of contaminants that could affect the health of you and your loved ones.

Contaminants can cause both acute and chronic health issues, especially for infants, the elderly, and those with other health problems. Alaskans that use private water sources are responsible for ensuring its safety. In addition to contaminants that can directly affect your health, some water problems could reduce the efficiency of your appliances and ultimately cause system problems that could indirectly affect health.

Periodic testing of your private water source is the ONLY way to know for sure what is in your water. This information can give you the peace of mind that your water is safe for your family, or give you the information you need to make appropriate treatment and pollution prevention decisions. (Source: Cook Inletkeeper)

Well Water Testing for Homeowners

Private wells are primarily unregulated (although a few states are beginning to regulate), so it is up to the homeowner to make sure the water coming from their well is safe for consumption. Most wells are tested at some point in time, but more than likely that testing was only for bacteria. While bacteria poses an immediate health risk, there are other contaminants that lurk in ground water that can cause illness when exposed to small amounts over a long periods of time – Arsenic and Uranium are two examples.

City Water Testing for Homeowners

Public water suppliers (city water) are responsible for testing the water quality as it leaves the water treatment facility. But this treated water runs through potentially miles of pipes throughout the distribution system – some of which may contain lead and copper, not to mention many systems are very old and thus starting to develop cracks which could potentially expose this water to other contamination.

 (Source: National Testing Labs, Ltd.)