Collecting Private Well Water for Testing at SHL
Nitrates and coliform bacteria – including E. coli – pose a potential threat to human health. The only way to ensure that water is safe to drink is to test it for these and other contaminants.
A new SHL video demonstrates the easy steps needed to collect a sample of drinking water from a private well and ship it to SHL.
Most Iowa counties participate in the Grants-to-Counties Program, which provides funds for the initial nitrate and coliform bacteria tests.
SHL recommends that private well owners have their drinking water tested each year.
Details about how to order a water sampling kit are posted on the Private Well Water section of the SHL website. For additional information about the Grants-to-Counties Program, contact Michael Schueller or Alyssa Mattson at 319-467-4503 or via email at shl-gtc@uiowa.edu.
