Homeowners & Your Water

		Do you want to know... When should I get my water tested? What should I test for? How do I collect a sample? Where do I get the water analyzed? How do I interpret the results? Then visit our Water Testing Website. For a list of laboratories that test drinking water, click here. For information on how to conserve water in your home and outdoors visit our Water Conservation Website.

		Why Homeowners Need To Test Drinking Water About 95% of rural residents use private wells to supply drinking water. These wells, which tap into local groundwater, are designed to provide clean, safe drinking water. Improperly constructed, or poorly maintained wells can create a pathway for fertilizers, bacteria, pesticides, or other materials to enter the water supply. Once in the groundwater, contaminants can flow from your property to a neighbor's well, or from a neighbor's property to your well. For more information read Risks to Your Water or Testing Your Well Water Brochure. What do the test results mean? Use a water quality interpretation tool to understand what your drinking water test results mean. You can also compare your results to the Utah drinking water standards.

		Good record keeping is essential to help protect the health of your household and the environment. These folders provide an easy, practical way to keep records of private wells and septic tanks. These folders also contain a description of typical systems, suggestions for maintenance, tables for critical dates, and other important information to help keep systems operating efficiently. Septic tank folder Water well folder For a free hard copy contact us. For more information regarding your well, visit http://wellowner.org or http://region8water.colostate.edu/drinking_water.shtml.

		Check out Montana State University's Well Water and Septic DVD online!