Well Water Test Kit
E. coli & Total Coliforms
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), local governments and public health agencies do not regulate privately owned wells and water systems. If you are a well owner, you are responsible for making sure your water is safe to drink. Water filtration systems do not guarantee the removal of harmful bacteria in well water. The U.S. EPA national drinking water regulatory standards mandate 100mL water samples must contain zero E. coli bacteria to be considered safe to drink.
Features
- No electricity, lab, highly trained analysts, cold chain or expensive, complicated equipment required
- P/A test results for E. coli and Total Coliforms, 100mL samples
- Meets EPA guidelines for bacterial testing
- Distinguishes between E. coli and Total Coliforms
- No labs or electricity required
- Simple test, color change test results easy to interpret
- Room temperature incubation at 77° Fahrenheit and above
- Room temperature test results in 20-48 hours
- Three year shelf life of E. coli growth medium when stored properly
How Our Test Stands Apart
Test Procedures
Collect 100mL sample
Add growth medium
Incubate 20-48 hours
Determine test results
Optional UV Flashlight: Our growth medium is designed and tested to deliver reliable, accurate results for E. coli detection in 100mL water samples. For users who have positive test results in ambient light (daylight) for E. coli and who would like additional verification, we offer this optional confirmation procedure: shine a UV light (365nm) on the sample. If it does fluoresce blue, this increases the likelihood the sample is positive for E. coli. This step is not required and does not indicate any concern with the primary test results. It simply provides additional corroboration for those seeking extra assurance.
Why a Yellow/Yellow Brown Sample in Ambient Light Might be Positive for Total Coliforms Under UV Light:
Total Coliforms are a large group of different types of bacteria, many of which are not of fecal origin. Fecal bacteria and pathogens in drinking water are what can potentially make people and animals sick. E. coli is both a fecal bacteria and Total Coliform, but not all Total Coliforms are E. coli. Total Coliforms only give a
general indication of the sanitary condition of a water supply. E. coli is the most specific indicator of fecal bacteria and pathogens in water, which is why the U.S. EPA specifies it in national drinking water standards.
Images of Test Results
Yellow/Yellow-Brown
Blue/Blue-Green
Yellow fluoresces
Blue fluoresces
Well Water Test Kit Components
Growth Medium
Whirl-Pak Thio-Bag
Why Test for E. coli Bacteria
- The greatest bacteriological waterborne risk to human health are fecal pathogens such as E. coli that are ingested by drinking water contaminated with the feces of humans and warm-blooded animals.
- You cannot tell by the look, taste or smell of well water if E. coli bacteria is present. Testing well water is the only reliable way to know if your well water is safe to drink.
- U.S. EPA regulatory drinking water standards for bacteria say 100mL water samples must contain zero E. coli.
How Often to Test for E. coli
- The U.S. EPA recommends well owners test their water for E. coli bacteria at least once a year. If you experienced bacteria problems in the past, you should test your well more frequently. Drinking water obtained from shallow wells should also be tested more frequently.
- Water quality changes over time. E. coli can enter wells due to poor, defective well construction, or a nearby source of contamination such as animal agriculture, or problems with your septic system, or environmental factors such as flooding and precipitation.
Amazon & Walmart
Alert, Define and Pinpoint kits on Amazon and Walmart are packaged, distributed and supported by our US distributor, Business Connect World. Kits come with 2, 5 or 10 tests.
Bulk from Aquagenx
Kits contain 25, 50 or 100 tests.
