Well test kits ready for town residents
LINN TOWNSHIP - About 75 test kits will be ready for use by the city of Linn residents who want to know what is in their drinking water.Residents gathered in the chapel on the hill on Saturday morning and in the afternoon, mayor of Linn to hear presentations on the program of well testing.
About 15 residents of the city to the chapel on the hill heard Ted Peters, director of the Environment Agency of Lake Geneva, says the program is entirely voluntary. Peters is also Chairman of the Board of Health District Linn. Another 35 residents showed later as mayor.
Peters said some people at meetings have been representing a number of residents who are interested in testing their wells.
Peters said the water testing must come from a sampling valve, located just outside the pressure tank inside the house. In the past, samples were taken outside faucets, but they are too easily contaminated, Peters said.
Samples will be sent to the Laboratory of Hygiene in Madison. There, the samples will be tested for coliform bacteria, arsenic, nitrates and chlorides.
There are more than 20 contaminants for which qualified laboratories can test.These four items were selected because they had caused problems in the past, said Peters.
- Coliform bacteria are a family of microbes, some of which are harmless and some cause disease. Presence of all the water indicates the water system is not closed properly and is vulnerable to biological pathogens.
There should have colonies of bacteria per sample to zero.
- Arsenic is a heavy metal concentrations, and some can be dangerous and even deadly to humans. Arsenic occurs naturally in some well over 200 feet deep, but can also be runoff from commercial pesticides.
Maximum allowable arsenic in drinking water is 10 parts per billion.
The wells should be tested for arsenic every year, Peters said.
- Nitrate is a nitrogen molecule surrounded by three oxygen molecules. The chemical is highly soluble and moves with water. It is commonly found in lawn fertilizer and agricultural products.
High levels may be a health problem. Nitrates are associated with nitrites, which have only two oxygen molecules. Nitrites need a third oxygen molecule to stabilize and, if ingested in drinking water, is that the oxygen out of the body of the drinker.
Nitrates In Well Water - News
Maximum allowable arsenic in drinking water is 10 parts per billion. Wells should be tested for arsenic every year, Peters said. - Nitrates are one nitrogen molecule surrounded by three oxygen molecules. The chemical is very soluable and moves with
Doctors finally narrowed the cause to the nitrates in their drinking water. Walker says he has not been able to drink water out of his tap for four years. "When we moved, we were not made aware of high nitrates in the water," Walker said.
drinking bottled water described or labelled as Zam Zam water. The agency says scientific tests have found that 'Zam Zam' water sold in the UK, or brought into the UK for personal consumption, may contain high levels of arsenic or nitrates.
Most of the drinking water test kits available in the market today, such as the , measures the presence E.coli and coliform bacteria in the water, as well as nitrate/nitrites contents
The study included testing 120 private water wells in the township to determine levels of nitrates and fecal coliform, as well as a visual examination of on-lot septic systems in the township. Tim Staub, who managed the Act 537 study for the township
Free nitrate tests offered at fair - FairmontSentinel.com | News ...
FAIRMONT - High nitrate levels in groundwater mean trouble for those who rely on wells for their drinking water.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Martin Soil and Conservation District is offering water testing nitrate free to Martin County Fair on Thursday to help homeowners determine if they should be concerned.
According to Rich Perrine conservation district, nitrates can cause a lot of damage to humans and animals.
The blue baby syndrome, a condition that impairs the ability to carry oxygen from hemoglobin, resulting in a bluish tint to the skin, is an example.
"It binds oxygen in the blood," he said, noting the baby animals and humans are at particular risk for the problem, although it can affect both adults.
When it comes to nitrates, the maximum health for drinking water is 10 parts per million.
"We have test well above 10," Perrine said.
Nitrogen occurs naturally in groundwater, but can be stimulated by applications of fertilizers and manure. Use changes and flood lands still change the levels of nitrogen, so that the State Department of Agriculture recommends regular testing of drinking water from wells.
Homeowners who get their water from the city did not need to worry about nitrate levels, according to the state Ag Commissioner Dave Frederickson.
"Nitrates in drinking water may be a risk to human health," he said. "Public drinking water supplies are monitored for nitrates, but it is important for owners of private wells to test their water and take action if their water has high levels of nitrates."
Once a well has been identified as having high levels of nitrates, it should not be used for drinking.
"If levels are high, it is fine for washing," Perrine said."If it is too high, [the owners] will want to use an alternate source of drinking water. It is not too much you can do. "
To participate in the test, owners are asked to bring at least a half-cup of water in a plastic bag or container. Water should be run for 5 or 10 minutes before filling the container, and should be collected no later than 24 hours before testing. Refrigeration is needed between the collection and testing.
To ensure accurate results, owners should mark the container with their name, telephone number and an identification number and is more than one sampled.
Owners who wish to remain anonymous should choose a "code" to identify their recognizable samples. There is no need to provide information about the location of the well or wells.
Nitrates In Well Water - Bookshelf
Drinking water and health
Some communities have used this technique to remove excess quantities of nitrates contaminating well water supplies (C1ifford and Weber, 1978). ...How to Prevent and Treat Diabetes with Natural Medicine
Reducing your intake of nitrates means making sure your drinking water does not contain nitrates as well as avoiding smoked or cured meats. ...Environment of life
The primary source of excessive nitrates in well water is the leaching of nitrate salts into the underground water supply from agricultural fertilization ...Water supply and health, proceedings of an international symposium, Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands, 27-29 August 1980
However, the nitrate levels in the well-water showed considerable variation and the number of wells sampled in some areas was small. ...Pharmaceutical journal;, A weekly record of pharmacy and allied sciences
The proportion of nitrogen as nitrates in the drainage water from 5 feet of bare ... drainage is not manifested in the well water till the following month. ...Everyday Report Directory
Nitrate in Well Water - EH: Minnesota Department of Health
Nitrate is a common contaminant found in many wells in Minnesota. ... Nitrate is found in air, soil, water, and plants. Much of the nitrate in our environment ...
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Nitrates can mix with the water in the ground and then seep into ... When nitrate-contaminated well water is. boiled to make baby formula, the boiling ...
Nitrates and Nitrites in Well Water - Water Testing and ...
Well water testing and treatment for nitrates and nitrites in ground water
Well Water Issues and Well Water Nitrate Filters and Well ...
Nitrates, arsenic and lead are three of the common contaminants of rural well water. ... Iron is found in almost all groundwater and well water because rain falls and ...
Answers to Frequently Asked Health Questions What are ...
and preserved meats, nitrates and nitrites can be found in ... of the nitrate in a typical diet comes from. drinking nitrate-contaminated water (about 21 ...