It's Time to Test Your Well Water Groundwater Awareness Week is
March 10-16 To kick off Groundwater Awareness Week, the New
Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) urges
everyone to test the well water they drink. If you have a
private well supplying water to your home, testing is up to you,
according to Sarah Pillsbury, Administrator of NHDES's Drinking
Water and Groundwater Bureau. "Approximately 60 percent of New
Hampshire residents are supplied by community water systems at
home. Those customers can check the annual Consumer Confidence
Report provided by their water supplier to find out what's in
the water they drink. But for the 40 percent of New Hampshire
residents who rely on private wells, there are no statewide
testing requirements," she explains. "So testing is entirely up
to the homeowner." Only a few towns require private well
testing, and that is typically only in conjunction with
obtaining a certificate of occupancy for a new home. "Because of
our geology and sometimes due to past