The state tests a new well once. After that it's on you. Here's what to test, how often, and where to go.
Updated
Quick answer
North Carolina requires only one test, within 30 days after a new well is completed. After that it is up to you. NC DHHS recommends testing for bacteria every year and for heavy metals, including arsenic, plus nitrates every two years, through your county health department or a certified lab. In eastern Wake County, add a radionuclide test.
North Carolina requires one test on a private well: within 30 days of when a new well is completed. That test covers bacteria and a list of metals and minerals, including arsenic, lead, iron, manganese, nitrates and pH. After that, no test is ever required.
NC DHHS is clear that there is no mandated oversight of private well water quality, and that monitoring it is the homeowner's responsibility. Fewer than 200,000 of the state's private wells were tested for contaminants between 2000 and 2010, out of the roughly 2.4 million North Carolinians who rely on groundwater.
This is the schedule NC DHHS recommends for private wells.
| How often | What to test for |
|---|---|
| Every year | Total and fecal coliform bacteria. Also inspect the wellhead for cracks or openings. |
| Every two years | Heavy metals (including arsenic), nitrates, nitrites, lead and copper. |
| Every five years | Pesticides and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). |
| After repairs or flooding | Bacteria at minimum, since contaminants can enter when the well is opened or the wellhead is underwater. |
In eastern Wake County and other areas with uranium-rich rock, add a radionuclide test for uranium, gross alpha and radon. Wake County expects one in five wells in eastern Wake to have unsafe levels.
The Environmental Health program at your county health department can send your sample to the NC State Laboratory of Public Health. Procedures and fees vary by county.
NC DHHS keeps a list of state-certified commercial labs that test drinking water.
We test hardness, iron, pH and dissolved solids at your kitchen sink, explain the results on the spot, and help you read your lab results too.
Use a certified lab for bacteria, arsenic and uranium, and our on-site test for everything that decides your treatment system. We design around both.
| Result | Limit | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Coliform bacteria present | None allowed | Shock chlorination, then UV sterilization |
| Arsenic | 10 µg/L (EPA and NC) | Reverse osmosis at the tap |
| Uranium | 30 µg/L (EPA) | Reverse osmosis at the tap |
| Iron | 0.3 mg/L (EPA secondary) | Iron & sulfur filter |
| Manganese | 0.05 mg/L (EPA secondary) | Iron & sulfur filter |
| pH below 6.5 | 6.5–8.5 (EPA secondary) | Acid neutralizer before other treatment |
Only once, within 30 days after a new well is completed. After that, testing is voluntary and up to the homeowner.
Lab fees are set by each county health department or private lab and vary. Our in-home test for hardness, iron, pH and dissolved solids is free.
Yes. A lab panel for bacteria, nitrates, metals and arsenic before closing tells you what you are buying. Add a radionuclide test in eastern Wake County.
Call us with your results. We match a treatment system to exactly what the lab found and install it, usually in a single visit.
We test on-site for free and help you make sense of any lab report.