COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Just how safe is your well water? The local health department is urging homeowners to have their water tested to find out for sure.
According to Rebecca Burns, Environmental Health Director for the Branch-Hillsdale-St Joseph Community Health Agency, all three counties have had reports of well water samples with levels of arsenic that exceed the 10 micrograms/liter that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says is unsafe. Hillsdale County has had reports of well water that tested up to the 20 micrograms/liter; while Branch and St. Joseph Counties have had reports that tested up to 50 micrograms/liter. Burns says this does not mean that all county well water is contaminated, but rather that there are pockets of groundwater that have concentrations well beyond acceptable levels defined by the EPA.
If your household water supply is provided by a well, the health department is recommending you test your water to assure its safety. The health department provides sample bottles that can be sent to the State of Michigan Drinking WaterLaboratory, who charge an $18 fee.
One of the most popular methods of dealing with high arsenic levels is treating drinking water with point-of-use reverse osmosis (RO) or arsenic adsorption media cartridge filters. Based on studies in other countries, long term exposure to high arsenic levels in drinking water has caused thickening and discoloration of the skin, sometimes leading to skin cancers.
