Water Quality Testing for Upper Peninsula Homes
Why Test?
Do you know where your water comes from? Municipalities typically get their water from lakes, rivers, reservoirs, or large wells. Then they treat the water before piping it to the residents they serve.
So why wouldn’t the water pouring from the tap be safe? There are a number of reasons, but most come down to contamination. Yes, municipal water is tested but is that enough? What about contamination that may occur in the system, such as a contamination issue in your home’s plumbing?
What about private wells? Private wells were once thought of as the ultimate source of safe water. Now we realize that they too come with their issues, and it’s the homeowner’s responsibility to make sure that well water is safe, not the government’s.
Having your water tested is the only way to ensure that it is safe for you and your family.
Water Quality and Safety Testing
Safe drinking water is essential for life. The big question is, how do we define “safe drinking water?” In short, safe (potable) water is free from organic, biological, or chemical contamination, whether the sources of these be naturally occurring or manmade.
Typically, we consider treated water supplied by municipalities and bottled water companies as “safe” —and with good reason. These suppliers are strictly regulated, and the quality of the water they supply must be deemed safe for public use.
However, recent situations such as those in Flint demonstrate that the system isn’t flawless. Water testing just makes sense at the residential level to ensure that your water is safe to drink and to bathe in.
What Do We Test For?
Typically, we test for Total Coliform, E-coli Bacteria, Nitrates & Nitrites. These are the most requested tests, and for good reason.
Coliform bacteria are found in the environment and the intestines of warm-blooded animals. The most noteworthy of these is E-coli, which you’ve probably heard of. The presence of these bacteria demonstrates that water is contaminated. That’s not to say that the source cannot be identified, rectified, and the system sanitized. It means that there is a source of contamination that must be dealt with.
Nitrate/Nitrite is another issue most common to well water. The buildup of Nitrites in the human body (also converted from Nitrate) can cause a fatal condition called methemoglobinemia. This reduces availability of oxygen in your blood. While it’s not good for anyone, it’s most problematic in infants, where it is commonly referred to as “blue baby syndrome.” Long term consumption of a diet high in nitrates or nitrites has also been linked to cancer.
What to Expect in Your Upper Michigan Water Quality Test
In six easy steps, U.P. Home Inspection LLC. will test your water quality and safety. Your results will be available digitally—no waiting for a slow paper copy to come in the mail.
- The first step in performing a water quality test is scheduling with U.P. Home Inspection LLC HERE.
- Your U.P. home inspector will arrive on the scheduled day and time of your test. You can expect the inspector to be on site for about 30 minutes.
- Your inspector will first take a sample of water from the source nearest to the well or municipal water supply entrance to the home.
- Then your home inspector will take a sample of water from your faucet.
- Your samples will be sent out to a lab for examination—you can expect this portion of your test to take 10-14 business days.
- Once your report comes back from the lab, you and your inspector will receive a PDF-format copy. Your U.P. home inspector will then confirm with you whether your water is considered within safe levels.
Upper Peninsula Water Testing Service Area
We proudly provide water quality testing in communities located in the central and western Upper Peninsula:
- Trowbridge Park, MI
- Tilden, MI
- Skandia, MI
- Sands, MI
- Sagola, MI
- Rock River, MI
- Republic, MI
- Palmer, MI
- Norway, MI
- Negaunee, MI
- Munising, MI
- Marquette, MI
- Manistique, MI
- Kingsford, MI
- Ishpeming, MI
- Iron River, MI
- Iron Mountain, MI
- Gwinn, MI
- Gladstone, MI
- Ford River, MI
- Escanaba, MI
- Eben Junction, MI
- Deerton, MI
- Crystal Falls, MI
- Chocolay, MI
- Brampton, MI
- Au Train, MI
- And More!
Don’t See Your Community?
Don’t worry! We travel past our standard service area for a small additional surcharge. Feel free to reach out to Rich Beasley, owner of U.P. Home Inspection LLC., to confirm at (906) 360-3879.
Expanded Testing
There are a wide variety of contaminants found in drinking water. We’ve already mentioned a few, but others, such as lead, copper, fluoride, arsenic, etc., are also of concern. If you would like to have a full panel of testing performed, we offer that option. We can sample your water and have the lab perform a full workup. This is a more expensive option, but it is well worth it if you experience environmental sensitivities.
We also offer a City Water test package designed for those who are on municipal water supply. This provides you with the levels of major compounds sometimes present in city water that can affect your family. Yes, the city tests for these, but they aren’t testing the water at your tap. Having your own water tested ensures that no contamination has taken place between the city’s water main and your drinking glass.
Expanded testing is a custom service, so please call or text us at (906) 360-3879 for more information.
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Questions? Give us a call at (906) 360-3879.
