All analysis shall be performed by a Laboratory approved by the New York State Department of Health, "Environmental Laboratory Approval Program".
New Wells- The well should be pumped clear and disinfected with chlorine. The sample shall be collected after the disinfectant has cleared from the system.
Existing Wells- Samples should be taken of the raw water after any existing treatment has been bypassed.
Additional testing at point of use may be necessary to determine the efficacy of any installed treatment systems.
These are the minimum recommended parameters to determine the bacteriological and chemical quality of water:
Total Coliform, Escherichia coli.
Principal Organic Chemicals*
tert-butylbenzene methylene chloride
carbon tetrachloride n-propylbenzene
2,2-dichloropropene vinyl chloride
1,1-dichloropropene methyl tertiary-butyl ether
* EPA method 502.2 with a detection limit of 0.5 ug/l or less.
Disinfection instructions from DCDOH.
In an emergency, contaminated well water or surface water can be made satisfactory for drinking by boiling or by chemical disinfection. The water should be as clear as possible; let muddy or cloudy water settle, then pour off the clear water into a separate container. Filtering the water through a clean cloth or milk strainer may help.
When heat or fuel is available, the safest way to make a small volume of water satisfactory for drinking is to boil it for at least two minutes. The water should then be cooled and stored in a clean protected container.
Chemical disinfection of clear water is summarized below. If the water is turbid or colored, double the amount of disinfectant.
|Disinfectant||Drops per Gallon of Water||Quarts per 1,000 Gallons|
|1% Chlorine solution||40||2|
|2.5% Chlorine solution||16||1|
|5.25% Chlorine solution||8||1/2|
|2% Tincture of iodine||20||...|
Mix treated water thoroughly and let stand 30 minutes before using.