No matter whether you want water for watering your livestock or chemical spraying or simply for drinking purpose, it is crucial to know about the water quality for its required use. This will help you in making a good decision about the water and how you are using it. With frequent water testing, you can easily recognize the existing issues, make sure the water is perfect for the required use, and estimating the efficiency of the whole treatment method. The source water quality might get changed with time and all of a sudden even if the colour, smell and the taste of the water remains the same.
Water testing becomes even more important when you are using it for drinking purpose. If you are thinking about whether the water you are using is safe for drinking or not, the best way is to get it tested by a recognized laboratory. It is not possible to see all harmful bacteria, viruses and parasites in the naked eye, for which water that looks good and tastes good might not be safe to drink. All those invisible organisms could exist both in surface water as well as groundwater and may lead to some immediate human sickness when not treated properly. Apart from the microbes, there are many chemical contaminants found in the source of water that can result in some long term health issues. With regular water testing, you can easily recognize the water that is not safe and make sure the treatment method is satisfactorily treating the water.
What are some of the basic water test?
Some of the relevant tests are done for determining the safety level of water supply. Some of the most common test techniques are
- Water portability: This includes the tests for coliform bacteria, fluoride, iron, hardness, nitrates, total dissolved solids etc. Know why the test for these things is important:
- The test for coliform bacteria helps in knowing about the presence of microorganisms present in the water.
- Nitrate is a very common contaminant that is found in the groundwater. The high concentration of it can be dangerous for all as it affects the capability of the blood to carry oxygen.
- Some ions like iron, sodium, sulphate can result in bad taste or water odour.
- More amount of sulphate in water can cause a laxative effect along with some gastrointestinal irritation.
- An excessive amount of fluoride in water can cause dental problems.
- A large amount of total dissolved solids can decrease the water palatability.
- Along with all test for above basic things, some additional water testing is also done like testing for arsenic, uranium, and selenium. Along with that surface as well as groundwater must be tested for contamination with pesticide.
How many times should you test the water?
Well! Private well water should be tested at least once a year but drinking water source must be tested more frequently because of more susceptibility for contamination. It is good to test the water both at the tap as well as source. It helps in determining whether your treatment method is correct or not and if there is any change in the source water quality.
Benefits:
It doesn’t matter whether it is well water or public water, you might be worried about the water quality that comes in your tap. Without being more concerned, contact a good water testing laboratory to assist you in determining if there is anything in your water you should be concerned about. Have a look at some of the major benefits that you get by testing your water:
- Assurance: The most important benefit is the assurance you get. You become well aware if there is anything wrong with your water so that you can easily address the issue.
- Get hold of contaminants that are hard to find: When you test your water privately they will cover varied contaminants present in your water. A very comprehensive test is done in your water that finds out all possible contaminants present in your water.
- Better insights to all health concerns: Water contaminants can result in some of the major health concerns like a digestive problem, itchiness, rashes etc. You might have also some issues with hair or your scalp. All these can be known and addressed rightly if you test your water.
So, by now, you must have understood the benefits of water testing. If you are interested in performing test, then you must contact a good and certified testing laboratory. With all advanced techniques, they will test your water and you are assured that the water you are using is perfectly safe and free from all contaminants.
