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If you draw water from a well, you need to be able to guarantee the quality of this water – this means testing, analysis, and assessment. But what about well water testing costs? How much expense will your business have to bear in order to get a high-quality set of results?
It’s difficult to define exactly how much well water testing costs, but you can gain a rough idea by looking at today’s water analysis market. Take a look at our guide and discover more.
Professional Testing Service Packages
The cost of a professional water testing service can vary wildly, depending on the scope of the test and on which professional organization is providing it.
Laboratories operated by government bodies or affiliated organizations, and those operated by universities, tend to charge a far lower fee than their private counterparts.
The Indiana State Department of Health Laboratory, for example, charges only $10 for tests involving bacteria, fluoride, or nitrates. They also provide tests for lead, copper, and arsenic traces at a cost of $20. There is an additional charge of $6.50 for shipping and handling of the sample.
The Water Research Center, as another example, charges $45 for specialized bacterial screening, including iron reducing bacteria, slime bacteria, and sulfur reducing bacteria. They also provide a comprehensive package, including the basic water chemistry and bacterial test, the comprehensive trace metals water test, and the specialized bacterial screening, for $110.
MyTapScore, affiliated with e-WaterTest, provides testing packages at different price points. The Essential Water Test is a standard test that screens the general water chemistry, the hardness and alkalinity of the water, toxic and heavy metals, nitrates and nitrites, coliform and E.coli bacteria, and silica. It costs $165 at the full price. The next step up is the Advanced Well Water Test. It includes all of the tests covered by the Essential option, but it adds tests for industrial chemicals, by-products of disinfectants, and oil and gas indicators in a package that costs $279 at the full price.
There is another option – the Extended Well Water Test. This expands on the MyTapScore Essential and Advanced tests, providing coverage for tannins, radioactive particles, flame retardants, and pesticides and plasticizers. This package is $720 at its full, non-discounted price.
These prices may vary, and they are certainly not the only professional testing services available to businesses across the United States. The information presented above is designed to provide you with a guide that shows the range of testing price points. The data also demonstrates how prices increase as you add more refinement and more testing options to your package. The more advanced packages may not be suitable for all facilities, but many businesses will want to spend a bit more to achieve a more comprehensive set of testing results.
Do-It-Yourself Testing
It may not be feasible to seek assistance from a third party every time you want to test the well water at your facility. Instead, you may want to invest in do-it-yourself testing products that enable you to handle the process safely, efficiently, and effectively on an in-house basis.
Do-it-yourself testing can save you considerable money when it comes to analyzing your water. This is thanks to a number of factors:
- The right kind of water analysis kit will include a facility to check and assess the water, providing almost immediate results and removing the need for a costly lab report.
- You will be able to collect the water sample yourself, directly from the well. This means you won’t need to bring in an expensive professional from outside to check the water for you.
- You can keep a store of water test kits at your business premises, enabling you to conduct timely testing with no delays. In turn, this minimizes any costly downtime while you wait for your test results.
- By training an in-house testing team, you can achieve high-quality testing as and when you need. You won’t need to reach out to expensive consultants and other experts as you deal with your well water analysis.
There are a few considerations that you will need to make if you decide to test your well water yourself with an in-house team.
- You will need to ensure that the proper training has been carried out so your in-house team knows exactly how to analyze your well water.
- You will bear the total cost of any mistakes, so you need to make sure you have access to high-quality testing equipment
- You will also need to bear the cost of training your in-house team, which will add to the initial expenses involved in well water analysis.
Potential Well Water Fines
Well water analysis is a crucial aspect of business for any organization drawing water from the ground. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) imposes heavy penalties on any individual or organization that endangers public health, either knowingly or through negligent behavior. These include but are not limited to the following:
- $250,000 ($1,000,000 for corporations) for knowing endangerment of public health and safety*
- $5,000 to $50,000 for knowing discharge of pollutants into public water sources*
- $2,500 to $25,000 per day (negligence) or $5,000 to $50,000 per day (knowing violations) for illegal discharge of effluent*
- $10,000 for false statements and misrepresentation regarding public health*
- $10,000 for tampering with monitoring or assessment equipment*
*In most cases, custodial sentences can also be applied, and penalties and fines are increased with each subsequent violation or conviction.
Don’t Neglect Your Well Water Analysis
You are operating a business, so you want to keep your costs low as you target maximum efficiency. With this in mind, it makes sense that you would attempt to manage the costs of your well water analysis and that you would opt for the most cost-effective option possible.
However, this does not mean you should compromise on the quality of your analysis. Whether you opt to test on an in-house basis or you decide to go with a professional third party, make sure you are working with a reliable solution. Cost-reduction is important, but the reliability of your test results takes priority.