Is Your Well Water Safe to Drink?

Stearns CD
Jul 17, 2019
2 min read

Today, Friday, August 31st, is the final day to purchase your well testing kits. The Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation Distict office in Waite Park still has well testing kits to purchase.

Or you can also stop by the Stearns DHIA Laboratories between 8am- 4pm in Sauk Centre (825 12th Street South, Sauk Centre 56378)

The test would need to be completed Friday, August 31, 2018. The only drop off location now would be to hand deliver it to the lab in Sauk Centre.

The sample kits test for coliform bacteria, arsenic, and nitrate for $10 (cash or check). Additional households can pay $45 (cash or check) for the same tests.

Why should I test drinking water from my private well?

As someone who gets their drinking water from a private well, you are responsible for making sure the water is safe for everyone in your household to drink. You cannot see, taste, or smell most groundwater contaminants. Some of these contaminants can cause immediate and long-term health effects.

Arsenic has been detected in about 40 percent of the drinking water wells constructed in Stearns County since 2008. About 7 percent of the wells have a level of arsenic higher than what is a allowed in a public water system. Consuming water with arsenic in it for many years can increase the risk of getting cancer. MDH recommends private well users test their drinking water at least once for arsenic. Arsenic occurs naturally in groundwater in Minnesota due to the way glaciers moved across our state. See Arsenic in Well Water (PDF) for more information.
Nitrate detections vary by township in Stearns County. In some townships more than 10 percent of the private wells have nitrate levels above 10 parts per million (ppm)—the amount allowed in public water systems. Consuming water with nitrate above 10 ppm can affect how blood carries oxygen and cause methemoglobinemia (also known as blue baby syndrome). Methemoglobinemia can cause skin to turn a blue color and can result in serious illness or death. Bottle-fed infants under six months old are at the highest risk of getting methemoglobinemia. MDH recommends private well users test their drinking water every other year for nitrate. Nitrate is a compound that occurs naturally and also has many human-made sources, such as runoff or leakage from fertilized soil, animal feedlots, septic systems, wastewater, landfills, and urban drainage. See Nitrate in Well Water (PDF) for more information.
MDH recommends private well users test their well water every year for coliform bacteria. Coliform bacteria acts as an indicator bacteria—if there is coliform bacteria in your well, it is an alert that there may be other contaminants that can cause health problems in the well water. See Bacterial Safety of Well Water (PDF) for more information.