The safety of your drinking water is important. In Iowa there are many farms and acreages utilize wells for water. Certainly the trend toward rural water is promising but there are still a majority of rural properties using wells. According to the Harrison County website "Currently, 45% of the private wells in the state, which serve 9% of the population, are considered unsafe for drinking due to bacterial contamination. Also, nearly one in every five private wells contain unsafe levels of nitrite, a common challenge in agricultural states that use heavy levels of fertilizers. Nitrite in water supplies can be life-threatening at certain levels and cause 'blue baby syndrome'."

Iowa has the "Iowa Grants to Counties" program funded by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and administrated by the Iowa Department of Public Health. This program provides participating counties with funds to test private well water for free.

If you are interested in having your well water tested for total coliform bacteria and nitrate at no cost, contact the environmental health specialist (county sanitarian) at your local health department to find out if they participate in the Grants-to-Counties program. If they participate, work with them to get your private well water tested. (If your county doesn't participate in the Grants-to-Counties program, you can contact University Hygienic Laboratory or another laboratory directly to get your water tested for a fee).

In Harrison County Iowa the County Environmental Health Office in Logan, Iowa does free well water testing for private wells. You can contact Matt Pitt at 712-644-2302 or by email at mpitt@harrisoncountyia.orgto arrange for testing. Matt will come to the home to collect the sample. The process is easy and should be utilized by anybody owning a well. If you are a well owner you are eligible for the program one time per year.

In Pottawattamie County Iowa you can contact Deb at 712-328-5792 in the Planning and Zoning Office in Council Bluffs.

Mills County Iowaalso offers the program. According to Mills County website "A limited number of kits are available to private well owners in Mills County. The grant pays for both nitrate and coliform bacteria testing. Other tests can be run as well for a minimal fee. Additionally, if wells test high in nitrates but have safe bacteria levels, funds are available through UHL to further analyze the nature of the contamination. Interested parties should stop by our offices to fill out an informational form and pick up a test kit." You can contact the Mills County Public Health at 712-527-9699

If you are purchasing a home but would like to have the water testing prior to purchase the program may not apply. This program is only available to the owner of the well and would have to be requested by the seller of the property. Many Iowa Counties offer this program and you should refer to your county website or contact your county courthouse for information in your county.