Central District Health Dept

Do You Have You Own Well?

20% of Nebraska's population depends on private wells for drinking water

15% of private water supplies are contaminated with coliform bacteria, have elevated nitrate levels, or both.

Nitrates

Water with nitrate levels higher than 10 parts per million is a concern for:

• Infants under 6 months of age
• Pregnant mothers
• Elderly

Boiling water will not reduce nitrate levels

Coliform Bacteria

• Coliform bacteria are microscopic and generally harmless organisms that live in the intestinal tract of many warm-blooded animals.
• These organisms are excreted through feces and can make their way to the ground water.
• Coliform bacteria are not direct disease causing but can be associated with other more dangerous strains of bacteria such as shigella, salmonella and E.coli.
• Treatment of coliform bacteria is relatively simple and inexpensive. Shock chlorination can be used to clean up a well.

CDHD recommends that anyone using a private well, test their water every year for coliform bacteria.

**To request a water sample kit please call the laboratory office at 308-385-5175

Test costs

• Coliform = $26.00
• Nitrate = $24.00
• Hardness = $24.00
• Fluoride = $24.00
• pH = $24.00

Explanation Of Results

Coliform - Your results will state if coliform bacteria was found to be "present" or "absent" in your water sample. Any amount of coliform bacteria is unsafe. Coliform bacteria itself may not cause illness but can be an indicator that other bacteria's that cause illness are present also. 

Nitrates - The safe range for nitrate is 0.0 - 10.0 mg/l. Anything higher than 10.1 mg/l is considered unsafe. Infants, pregnant women, nursing mothers and the elderly are most susceptible to nitrate.

Hardness - Hard water is not a health risk but can be a nuisance. It can cause build up which can lead to appliance breakdown and poor soap/detergent performance. 0-6 grains/gallon is considered soft water, 7-17 grains/gallon is considered moderately hard, 18 grains/gallon is very hard.

Fluoride - A range of 0.80 - 1.50 mg/l is optimal level for cavity prevention. Most water in Nebraska contains some fluoride naturally.

pH - This measures the acidity or alkalinity. Normal range in Nebraska is 6.5 - 8.5. Anything over 7 is acidic anything under 7 is alkaline.

According to the Associated Press, tests have detected small concentrations of pharmaceuticals in the drinking water supply of 41 million Americans, making this a public health issue of growing concern. Pharmaceuticals enter the water supply via human waste, through medications that are flushed down the toilet, and through agricultural run off at landfills. While a large percentage of medications wind up in septic systems, wastewater treatment plants can’t effectively filter all traces of the drugs, allowing the contaminants to eventually infiltrate groundwater.

Any hazardous substance spilled on the ground, leaked underground, or poured down an abandoned well or borehole can infiltrate groundwater, the drinking water source for nearly 35 million Americans using privately owned water wells. As a private well owner, you are the manager of your water system. Your practices as a property owner can directly impact your water quality or that of other well owners in the area.

So how can you help protect your water system from pharmaceuticals? Our partners at the Prevention Action Alliance suggest the following:

If you choose to throw the drugs in the garbage, put them in something resealable (like a Ziploc® bag) to prevent leaking.

Instead of flushing, use one of several drug drop boxes in police departments and other locations where consumers can safely dispose of all medications. These locations can be found on the FDA’s, states’ attorneys general, or local law enforcement’s websites.

Utilize mail-back programs and disposal kiosks at certain, local pharmacies.

For after hours water testing please contact (308) 379-7832.

Well & Septic Inspection

This inspection will give an on-site evaluation of the water and/or wastewater treatment system on the property specified on the below application.

Application for Evaluation of Individual Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment System

Instructions for Collecting Water Samples