There is nothing better than drinking a glass of ice-cold well water after working in the hot summer sun.

Many times I have walked in a farmers' field and later stopped by their house to talk about what should be done to their crop while drinking a glass of well water. There is something about well water that even makes for a great tasting glass of tea.

Well water from where I grew up in south Georgia was very hard, meaning the water came up out of the ground with high levels of calcium and magnesium. Both elements are not harmful to drink, but rather they caused faucets and showers to scale and made for hard cleaning. I think hard water tastes good.

Here in Newton County wells pump mainly through rock and the water is less likely to have minerals like calcium. Even though the water here is softer than I experienced growing up, Newton County well water makes for a great glass of iced tea.

I believe there is a lot of great tea being made here in Newton County because the large number of privately-owned wells providing residents with their drinking water.

Just because your tea tastes good does not mean your well water is free of contaminants. So who is responsible for testing well water for quality control? According to the laws of Georgia, if your private well serves less than 15 houses with less than 25 people, no quality control is required. This means most private wells go unchecked for water quality.

What test should you run on your well water?
The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension recommends that all private wells be tested annually for coliform bacteria. Coliform comes from the intestines of animals and can also be found in soil, surface water-anywhere animal feces may be found. If you are going to test for bacteria, check for E. coli also. Escherichia coli can also be found in the intestines of warm blooded animals and has a great potential for causing diseases like typhoid-fever, dysentery, polio and hepatitis.

Testing for all possible contaminates may not be practical because of the hundreds of test that could be run, and the cost would be prohibitive. I suggest testing for bacteria and for a few minerals to see what their levels are. For example, if you have copper pipes, see if elevated levels of lead and copper are in the water. Lead builds up in the body and damages the brain, nervous system and other things. Also, drinking high levels of copper-laden water for 14 days or more can cause infants to have kidney and liver damage.

Should you have your water tested?
Consider testing you well water if you experience any of the following: gastrointestinal problems, if your water has an odor or seems off in color, if you are thinking about purchasing a home with a well, if pipes begin to leak, or if water is staining laundry or fixtures in the house

Public Water
Now, does that mean only people who drink from a well need to test their water quality? No. Homes that get their water from public water systems may want to test also.

Public water systems are required to test water quality on a regular basis, and they will notify you if something is contaminated. However, once the water flows into your home's pipes from a public water source, your home's pipes can contaminate the water with things like copper or lead. Therefore, testing the water coming from a public system is recommended.

There are public and private laboratories that are certified to test water. Many Health and Environmental Departments can test for bacteria. The Newton County Extension Office can test for bacteria and many other contaminates. There will be a nominal fee for all tests.

If you are drinking water from a well, it is your responsibility to test the water to see if it is safe. If you have tested your water and have determined it to have any contaminant, call or come by the Newton County Extension office for researched information. This free information can lead you to solutions to most water problems.

The Newton County Extension office is located in the Newton County Administration Building at 1113 Usher St., Suite 202, Covington, GA 30014. The phone number is (770) 784-2010. You can email twynne@uga.edu with any questions.