As a private well owner, you are in a unique position: You control your own water supply. With this benefit come some responsibilities. You are responsible for protecting your valuable ground water resource as well as your family's health.

Occasionally, based on a news report or the color or smell of your water, you may wonder about the safety of your water supply. What do you do? Testing your water for the most common well contaminants is the best course of action. Answers to some questions you may have follow.

How common are water problems?

"Pure" water does not exist-all natural water contains some gases and minerals and is likely to contain some microbial organisms. Most water bacteria are harmless and many are actually beneficial.

I've heard about coliform bacteria. What are they?

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