Testing water

I think we used a water company to do it, but it was a good while ago.

NT

You don't say where you are but unless you are planning to drink the water or an in an area known for lead, copper or arsenic mining it is unlikely to a be problem for plants even if it isn't potable.

Testing commercially could be expensive unless you can find a local university chemistry or geology department prepared to run it through their ICPMS or ICPAES as a foreigner. Be aware that such tests will invariably find traces of everything so you need to understand them.

The DIY testing kits will be rubbish.

From

"If you own or use a private water supply, and are looking for advice, you should go in the first instance to the environmental health department of your local authority (or, in the case of Northern Ireland, contact the Drinking Water Inspectorate). They can also arrange testing of your supply."

See also

I assume they won't pay for it though

NT

I think public health had to be informed in the old days, but not sure who does this role Now. I do know that you cannot just open up a bore hole and start sucking water out of the ground any more as it can affect others supplies. Brian

I should have known they had given themselves a new name now. Drinking water inspectorate, well not as daft a name as some I have encountered. Brian

That's not correct. It seems the legislation states that no permission or licence is required for extraction rates of up to 20,000 litres per day

Given the state of my garden, I just wish I had somewhere to abstract it

It's a rural area so I expect that bacteria and fertiliser residue would be the main concerns, but it's something I don't know anything about so I'd like to convert some of the unknown unknowns into known knowns ;-)

Some of the DIY kits get quite good reviews, but I don't see how a naive user can know if the results are accurate.

They charge for testing, but I suppose the advantage is that the results will be believable.

Feels like this xkcd is appropriate:

:-)

xkcd is *always* appropriate. :o)

Not surprising, I was a bit disappointed they did not give an indicative price. But as you say, should be a reliable result.

It's a vast topic. So long as you're away from possible industrial pollution sources it will be OK for irrigation. (Possible heavy metal pollution) But NOT for drinking. (Bio hazards)

Agreed.

Organics from gas works!

I wonder how great these risks really are in rural areas. My horses drink spring water that ultimately comes from mixed (arable/sheep/cattle) farm land. Probably OK to make tea with it?

All bets are off in urban or old industrial areas though. I used to live in a Georgian house which had once been part of a Victorian school, although the latter had been left to go derelict. When a developer bought it to turn into flats, he found a well in the grounds, presumably once their source of water. (My house on a slightly higher level had a hand-pump originally drawing from a rainwater tank under the patio). However when mains water and "modern" sanitary facilities had been added in the late 19th or early 20th Century, the foul drain for both properties had simply been run into the well, which was then capped. Luckily the developer connected me to the drain which they had to put in. (I sometimes wonder whether he could have claimed for some of the cost).

The problem in rural areas (especially valley bottoms) is septic tanks. The ground water may be heavily polluted. It is not stationary, the water is moving through the ground and can travel miles.

Health and safety gone mad! I blame that Dr Snow removing the pump handle. Cholera? Pah!