If your water comes from a pubic or municipal water system your water is regularly tested for contaminants regulated by Federal and state standards, such as pathogens, radioactive elements and certain toxic chemicals. However, some public water supplies may have water quality problems caused by inadequate municipal water treatment facilities or distribution systems. Some rural water supply districts do not have enough money to hire trained specialists or to immediately comply with expanding government requirements. In addition, corrosive water or deteriorating pipes in the house may add contaminants to municipal drinking water after it enters your home.

If you obtain drinking water from your own well, you alone are responsible, for assuring that it is safe. For this reason, routine testing for a few of the most common contaminants is highly recommended. Even if you currently have a safe, pure water supply. regular testing can be valuable because it establishes a record of water quality. This record can be helpful in solving any future problems and in obtaining compensation if someone damages your water supply.

If you are buying a home and wish to assess the safety and quality of the existing water supply: Test for coliform bacteria, nitrate, lead, iron, hardness, pH, sulfate, total dissolved solids (TDS), corrosion index and other parameters depending on proximity to potential sources of contamination. If a water softener is needed to treat hard water: Test for Iron and manganese, which decrease the efficiency of action exchange softeners, before purchase and installation. If you wish to monitor the efficiency and performance of home water treatment equipment: Test for the specific water problem being treated upon installation, at regular intervals after installation, and if water quality changes. If water stains plumbing fixtures and laundry: Test for iron, manganate and copper. (Photo at left courtesy of reader B.H.) If water has an objectionable taste or smell; Test for hydrogen sulfide, pH, corrosion index, copper, lead, iron, zinc, sodium, chloride and TDS. If water appears cloudy, frothy, or colored: Test for color, turbidity and detergents. If pipes or plumbing show signs of corrosion: Test for corrosion index, PS, lead, iron, manganese. copper and zinc. If water leaves scaly residues and soap scum, and decreases the cleaning action of soaps and detergents: Test for hardness. If water supply equipment (pump, chlorinators, etc.) wear: rapidly: Test for pH, corrosion index.

Once each year test for coliform bacteria, nitrate, pH and TDS. it is best to test for these contaminants during the spring or summer following a rainy period. These tests should also be conducted after repairing or replacing an old well or pipes, and after installing a new well or pump.

Every 3 years test for sulfate, chloride, iron, manganese, lead, hardness and corrosion index.

If a new baby is expected in the household it is a good idea to test for nitrate in the early months of a pregnancy, before bringing an infant home, and again during the first 6 months of the baby's life. http://www.inspect-ny.com/water/wat…

National rural drinking water programme: movement towards ensuring people’s drinking water security in rural India : The objective of this programme is monitoring and surveillance of all drinking water sources in the country by the community, decentralization of water quality monitoring and surveillance of all rural drinking water sources in the country, institutionalization of community participation and involvement of PRIs for water quality monitoring and surveillance, generation of awareness among the rural masses about water quality issues and the problems related to water borne diseases and building capacity of Panchayats to use the field test kits and take up full O&M responsibility for water quality monitoring of all drinking water sources in their respective areas. 100 % testing of all the water sources including the private sources in the country at the Gram Panchayat level by the grassroots level workers by using simple user friendly field test kits is proposed.http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.o…

In India water is tested in laboratories to find out the minerals present in it along with parameters like pH, conductivity, colour and turbidity. The tests help establish the presence of any parameter and the extent to which it is present in a particular water. Most of the tests are done using the time tested method of titration, using laboratory glassware like burettes, pipettes, conical flasks and beakers. This method still prevails although modern instruments like spectrophotometers, chromatographs, etc have started making their presence felt for testing parameters where the titration method cannot be used. http://www.indiawaterportal.org/dat…

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