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 Is
water in Jacksonville safe to drink? That's a question that
can only be answered through water testing! (learn more about
free water testing here...)
Because we live in Florida, we are lucky to
have a plentiful source of ground water. Unfortunately, Florida's
aquifers can become contaminated by chemicals and microbes
that can cause illness. Nitrate/Nitrite and bacteria like
E.Coli and Coliform can reach the ground water and wells through
poorly maintained septic systems, livestock areas and fertilizer
application, or as a result of poorly constructed wells. Chemicals
can enter into the ground water from leaking gasoline storage
tanks, pesticide applications, landfills, and improper disposal
of toxic and hazardous wastes. The EPA
and the Florida
Department of Health recommends testing your well water
annually to detect problems early.
While all "public water systems" in
Florida are required to perform routine testing to ensure
that they meet state drinking water standards, private
well owners are responsible for ensuring that their OWN
well water is safe to drink. As a private well owner in Jacksonville,
you should be aware of these potential risks to the ground
water and your household water supply. List
of EPA Water Contaminants
NOTE: if you are looking for HUD
or FHA
"approved" water testing, please know that in
2005, these groups elected to leave testing criteria to
local authorities or the lender. For VA "approved"
water testing, the VA has left testing criteria up to the
lender. The Florida Department of Health recommends testing
for bacteria and nitrite, which our standard test does.
If your mortgage company requires specific samples for water
testing, please let us know what those are prior to making
an appointment so we can price your water testing service
accordingly.
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Water Sampling Options:
Our Standard Water Sampling includes testing for:
Or, choose these individual Sampling options:
- Bacteria (Total Coliform)
- Nitrate / Nitrite
- Bacteria (E. Coli)
- Lead
Tests above can be mixed and matched to create the service
you need
All samples must meet strict collection criteria, and
may only be collected Monday thru Friday before 3 PM.
Samples are sent to a lab for testing; lab is NELAP certified
as well as certified by the Florida Department of Health (#E82574).
Call for pricing!
904-268-8211
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Free Water Tests: A
message from the Florida Attorney General (From
here)
Avoid "Free" home water tests
Fraudulent sellers that advertise "free home water
testing" may only be interested in selling you their
water treatment device, whether you need it, or not. In
performing the test, the salesperson may add tablets or
droplets of chemicals to your tap water, explaining that
the water will change color or that particles will form
if the water is contaminated. When the water changes color
before your eyes, the salesperson may warn you that the
water is polluted and may cause cancer. In almost all of
these cases, any water (even spring water) would "fail"
the company's test.
Don't be pressured by prize promotion offers
Sellers will sometimes try to sell their water treatment
devices by notifying you by mail or by telephone that you
have been selected to win an expensive prize. To qualify
for the prize, you are required to buy a water treatment
device, costing hundreds of dollars. You may later discover
that both the prize and the water treatment device are of
little value.
Be wary of claims of government approval
Sellers will sometimes claim that certain governmental agencies
require or recommend that households use water purification
systems, or that the government has approved the seller's
particular method of in-home water testing. These claims
are false. If you see an EPA registration number on a water-treatment
product label, it means only that the manufacturer has registered
its product with the Environmental Protection Agency, but
not that the EPA has tested or approved the product.
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