Is Your County Looking out for You?
By Jim Palmer Jr.

During a recent residential acreage sale, a well was tested for quality based on Stevens County Health Department minimum standards (lead, arsenic, nitrates, coliform and uranium). When the lab report came back it revealed an extremely elevated level of arsenic which was alarming to the new buyer. Since the home had been vacant for months the owner purged the well by allowing the water to run for hours, but when re-tested the water still contained unacceptable levels of arsenic in the tap water. The long term solution for this well was an expensive treatment system.

Now, consider this thought; if this well was in Spokane County, the minimum county testing requirements for water quality would ONLY include coliform and nitrate tests.  In other words, if a buyer relied only upon Spokane County Health Department standards for well testing, and only bacteria and nitrates were tested, no one would be the wiser and the owner’s health could be at risk without discovery or treatment.

How can anyone declare the water potable when there are so many unanswered questions? So much for big government looking out for your interests! Truthfully though, that investigation should really be the responsibility of a property buyer, but there does seem to be a missing link in terms of education on that topic. Does your Realtor® know enough to look out for your interests on this topic as you purchase a rural residence?
The majority of water samples in our region are analyzed by Anatek Labs in Spokane, who have several pricing packages for well tests. Most folks choose to cut corners and go with the least expensive version when they really should be doing a more complete gamut of testing.  Testing water quality is not the place to be a cheap skate.

Many wells in our region test high in lead, arsenic, and uranium, (all related to potential health issues) and other potentially dangerous chemicals. Some minerals often present in well water such as iron, manganese or sulfur may not be a significant health hazard, but can be a real annoyance and costly in terms of treatment systems.  In recent years, over 300 private wells in the West Plains area have been discovered to contain high levels of PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances) the “forever chemical”.  Additionally, if you were considering purchasing in a farming area, should you consider testing for pesticides and herbicides? 

The moral of this story is; Don’t rely on government to look out for your interests and don’t cut corners when purchasing a property with a well!