PROTECT
YOURSELF THROUGH
REGULAR
TESTING OF YOUR
WATER SUPPLY
$ Pricing
$
TESTING YOUR WATER
WHO’S RESPONSIBLE?
The quality of a private water supply is generally the responsibility of the homeowner.
One way homeowners can be certain
their water is safe to drink is by having it tested periodically by a certified testing laboratory.
However, certain counties or municipalities may have specific regulations
established for testing of private supplies. Please check with your local
authorities to see if any exist.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I TEST MY WATER?
To assure a safe water supply, test your water for bacteria and nitrates at least
once a year. Other tests should be made regularly - at least every three years.
EXCEPTIONS: Have your water tested...
-
any time you disturb (change or
repair a pump, etc.) or change water supplies.
-
any time new mining, gas drilling
or other disturbances occur in your immediate area (tests other than those
listed herein may be necessary to document changes).
-
any time there is a change in
appearance, taste, odor or quality of your water.
WHAT TESTS DO I NEED?
It would be ideal if water could be tested for all water-borne diseases and
harmful chemicals. However, the cost would be prohibitive. The following tests
include many parameters which are of concern to the homeowner and may indicate
the cause of various problems (i.e. staining, odor, taste, contamination from
sewage or other sources, cloudiness, etc.).
pH
ALKALINITY ACIDITY
IRON MANGANESE
SULFATE TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS
CONDUCTIVITY TOTAL HARDNESS
BACTERIOLOGICAL
PROTECTING YOUR WATER SUPPLY
Individual water supplies are susceptible to loss of
both quality and quantity. Regular water testing not only assures you of knowing
you have a safe water supply, but also can provide the necessary documentation
if you suffer a loss of water quality because of mining, drilling or other land
disturbance.
To document water quantity, contact Mahaffey Laboratory
to discuss having flow data recorded for springs or a pump test conducted to
estimate the production of a well.
SPECIFIC TESTING
The following tests are recommended to demonstrate the
impact of gas drilling. They should be completed prior to the start of any drilling activity.
pH
ALKALINITY ACIDITY
IRON MANGANESE
SULFATE TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS
CONDUCTIVITY TOTAL HARDNESS TOTAL
DISSOLVED SOLIDS CHLORIDE
BARIUM
CALCIUM
Other situations may require specific testing which we
will be glad to discuss with you.
DISINFECTING YOUR WATER SYSTEM
When a new well is drilled, spring developed or an
existing water supply is disrupted for repair, it should be disinfected before
returned to service. Water in the supply should be treated with a strong
chlorine solution to destroy disease organisms. All pipelines and fixtures in
the distribution system should be flushed to allow the chlorinated water to
reach all areas. The source of chlorine can be ordinary household liquid laundry
bleach (about 5.25% available chlorine). The quantity required depends on the
volume of water to be treated.
Drilled wells: Remove the cap or seal from the casing
and measure the depth of water in the well, then refer to the table below to
determine how much chlorine solution should be used. If this is not possible, it
may be necessary to guess at the quantity of disinfectant to use. As a general
rule, it is better to use too much chlorine than not enough. The disadvantage is
that in doing so it will take longer for the chlorine to leave the system. Mix
the required amount of chlorine with several gallons of water in a bucket and
pour slowly down the well.
Springs or cisterns: Springs can be more difficult to
disinfect properly, especially if they have a large amount of overflow, making
it difficult to detain the chlorine solution in the reservoir. It is necessary
to have the chlorinated water to flow through the supply line enough to fill the
entire distribution system.
A solution of approx. 1/2 cup of bleach in 5 gallons of
water should be used to scrub the walls of the spring box or holding tank. After
this, the following calculation can be used to determine how much chlorine
should be added to the reservoir.
Approx. 1 gal. of household laundry bleach per 500 gal.
water.
To determine the amount of bleach to use in your water
system, use the following equations:
Box
Shape Reservoir
length (ft.) x width (ft.) x depth of water (ft.) x 7.48 = gal. water
i.e. a reservoir is 6 feet long by 4 feet wide with a depth of 3 1/2 feet of
water.
= 6’ x 4’ x 3.5’ x 7.48 = 628 gallons of water
Cylindrical Shape
diameter (in.) x diameter (in.) x depth (in.) x 0.0034 = gal. water
i.e. a reservoir has a 28 inch diameter with depth of 12 feet (144 in.) of water
.
= 28" x 28" x 144" x 0.0034 = 384 gallons of water
Amount of Bleach
gallons of water x 0.002 = amount of bleach (approximately)
*Table 1: Quantity of household bleach
(5.25% chlorine) required to develop a concentration of 100 ppm (parts per
million) clear water standing in a well.
c = cup, pt = pint, q = quart
To Much is Better Than Not Enough
|
Water Depth
|
Well Diameter
|
|
in feet
|
6" |
8" |
10" |
|
10 |
1c |
1c |
2c |
|
20 |
1c |
2c |
4c |
|
30 |
2c |
4c |
3pt |
|
40 |
1pt |
2pt |
4pt |
|
60 |
2pt |
3pt |
6pt |
|
80 |
2pt |
4pt |
7pt |
|
100 |
3pt |
5pt |
4qt |
|
150 |
5pt |
4qt |
6qt |
*
INTERPRETING YOUR WATER ANALYSIS REPORT
| ITEM: |
ACCEPTABLE
LIMIT AFFECT OF CONCENTRATIONS ABOVE ACCEPTABLE LIMITS: |
WITHOUT
TREATMENT: |
| pH |
6.8 to 7.5
pH units |
pH values
below 6.5 may result in corrosive water
pH values above 7.5 usually indicate hard water |
| Alkalinity |
< or =
400 mg/L |
High
alkalinity (pH 8.0+) may have "soda" taste and drying affect on
skin |
| Acidity |
preferably
< or = 0 mg/L |
Acidity
values in excess of alkalinity values may be damaging to piping systems
and have a bitter taste |
| Iron (Fe) |
<
or = 0.3 mg/L |
Imparts
metallic taste to water and leaves yellow stains |
| Manganese (Mn)
|
< or =
0.05 mg/L |
Similar to
iron, leaves black specks on bathroom fixtures |
| Sulfate
(SO4) |
<
or = 250 mg/L |
Produces
medicinal taste and may have a laxative effect - Generally means extreme
hardness and low pH |
| Total
Suspended
Solids (TSS) |
preferably
< or = 2 mg/L |
May settle
out and build-up in water heaters |
Conductivity
(specific conductance) |
preferably
< or = 300 |
Treatment
systems may cause this to be exceeded |
| Total
Hardness |
20 to 110
mg/L
or 1.0 gpg to 7.0 gpg |
Wastes
soap, cleans poorly, leaves spots on glass and causes lime scale in water
heaters and pipes |
| Chlorides |
<
or = 250 mg/L |
Brackish
or briny taste and water is usually corrosive |
| Nitrate |
< or =
10 mg/L |
Higher
concentrations usually indicated sewage pollution, may be fatal to infants
(blue baby disease) |
| Total
Coliform Bacteria |
0 colonies/
100 ml |
Indicates
that the sample has a source for bacterial contamination and that the
constituents of the sample (Results of Bacteria, given in separate report)
and its environment are able to support and continue growth |
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Mahaffey
Laboratory Ltd.
Price
listing
|
Price - $ |
Reference Name |
Parameters Included - |
| $45.00 |
Basic Group |
pH, Alkalinity, Acidity, Iron,
Manganese, Sulfate, Suspended Solids, Conductivity, Total Hardness,
Chloride |
| $90.00 |
Basic Group
(listed above)
plus
following Metal Group |
Aluminum,
Antimony, Arsenic, Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Lead,
Nickel, Selenium, Silver, Thallium, Zinc |
| $125.00 |
Basic Group
(listed above)
Metal Group (listed above)
plus
Mercury |
Mercury |
| $75.00 |
Gas Well
Drilling Group |
pH, Alkalinity,
Acidity, Iron, Manganese, Sulfate, Conductivity, Total Hardness, Total
Suspended Solids, Total
Dissolved Solids, Chloride, Barium, Calcium |
| $90.00 |
Metal Group
for Drinking Water |
Antimony,
Arsenic, Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Lead, Mercury,
Nickel, Selenium, Thallium |
| $90.00 |
FHA / HUD
Group |
Total
Coliform, Fecal Coliform, Nitrate, Nitrite, first draw Lead |
| $35.00 |
Total Coliform |
Total Coliform |
| $30.00 |
Fecal Coliform |
Fecal Coliform |
| $15.00 |
Nitrate |
Nitrate |
| $8.00 |
Total Dissolved Solids |
Total Dissolved Solids |
| $15.00 |
Chloride |
Chloride |
| $15.00 |
Copper |
Copper |
| $25.00 |
Lead |
Lead |
| $15.00 |
Fluoride |
Fluoride |
| $30.00 |
Oil &
Grease |
Oil &
Grease |
$40.00
$10.00 if added to Basic Group
$5.00 if added to Gas Well Group |
Langelier's
Saturation Index |
pH,
Alkalinity, Total Dissolved Solids, Calcium, Temperature |
| Additional
Testing and/or Services may be viewed at the
Services
Page |
Contact Mahaffey
Laboratory
Phone *
814-236-3540
P.O. Box L Main
St. Grampian, PA 16838
Business Hours *
Mon. - Fri. * 7:00 am - 4:30 pm
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