Home Water Quality

18 February 2009

Virginia Cooperative Extension, Charlottesville/Albemarle County Office
460 Stagecoach Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22902
phone: 434.872.4580   fax: 434.872.4578

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In Virginia, we rely on reservoir systems, wells, and other sources for our freshwater. In recent years, our previously plentiful clean water supplies have been threatened not only by overuse, but also by contamination. Pollutants are carried down with water soaking through the soil to the water table. Runoff (water that does not soak into the ground) flows over the surface, often taking soil and polluting chemicals with it into lakes and streams.

Home lawns and landscapes may contribute to this water pollution when homeowners apply pesticides and fertilizers carelessly. By using pesticides and fertilizers properly and only when necessary and following recommended landscape practices, you can do your part to protect our lakes, streams, and drinking water for the future.

Whats in YOUR Water?

Water is one of the four basic essentials for survival:  Food, Water, Shelter and Space.   Our national food supply is tested and scrutinized by the federal government.  But who tests our water?  If you have a well, spring or cistern for your water source, no one does.  Is that bad?  Not necessarily.  Each new well has to be tested and pass as safe, before an Occupancy Permit can be issued.

Virginia Cooperative Extension along with the Biological Systems Engineering Department at Virginia Tech are working together to provide low cost water analysis to educate those who are interested about their own water system.    The goal of the Virginia Household Water Quality Program is to improve the water quality of Virginians with private water supplies, such as wells, springs and cisterns. These Drinking Water Clinics are being held in counties across the state to give people with private water systems access to affordable water testing, to help with interpreting their water test results and information about possible treatment options.

How does it work?

Participants attend a short, evening Kickoff Meeting, where they receive information about how to collect water samples and a sampling kit.  At this meeting, participants will be notified of a date, time, and location where they will drop off their water samples.  At this collection point, the samples will be iced in coolers and taken to the Biological Systems Engineering Water Quality Lab at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg for analysis.  Once the analysis is complete, an Interpretation Meeting is held to distribute the results to each participant.  At this meeting, water test results are explained, and information provided about possible treatment options participants may consider.

All participant information is kept strictly confidential.

What does the water test include?

Iron	Manganese	Sulfate	Chloride
Sodium	Copper	Nitrate	Hardness
Fluoride	pH	Saturation Index	Total Dissolved Solids
Coliform bacteria	E. coli bacteria

How much does it cost?

$46  This payment covers the cost of one sampling kit.  The analysis provided would normally cost more than $200 at a commercial water testing laboratory

There are three separate opportunities to participate in this area, dates and times are listed below.  To register for any of these please call your local Extension office for more information, the phone numbers are listed below.

Schedule for Albemarle Private Supply Drinking Water Clinic:

	Date and Time	Location
Kickoff Meeting	March 2, 7-8 p.m.	Albemarle High School Auditorium at 2775 Hydraulic Road, Charlottesville
Sample Drop-off	March 4, 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.	Albemarle County Office Building at 1600 5th Street, Charlottesville
Interpretation Meeting	April 1, 7-9 p.m.	Albemarle High School Auditorium at 2775 Hydraulic Road, Charlottesville

Schedule for Fluvanna Private Supply Drinking Water Clinic:

	Date and Time	Location
Kickoff Meeting	March 23, 6-7 p.m.	Effort Church Family Life Ctr.
Sample Drop-off	March 25, 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.	Effort Church,  Rt. 618 Entrance
Interpretation Meeting	April 20, 6-8 p.m.	Effort Church Family Life Ctr.

Schedule for Greene Private Supply Drinking Water Clinic:

	Date and Time	Location
Kickoff Meeting	April 13, 6-8 p.m.	William Monroe High School (Cafeteria) 254 Monroe Drive in Stanardsville
Sample Drop-off	April 15, 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.	Greene County Cooperative Extension Office, 10013 Spotswood Trail in Stanardsville
Interpretation Meeting	May 13, 6-8:30 p.m.	William Monroe High School (Cafeteria) 254 Monroe Drive in Stanardsville

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For more information about this and other landscape topics contact your local Virginia Cooperative Extension office. The local Virginia Cooperative Extension office numbers are Albemarle 872-4580, Fluvanna 591-1950, Greene 985-5236, Louisa 540-967-3422, and Nelson 263-4035.