How often should I test my well water in Virginia?

The Virginia Department of Health recommends testing at least annually for total coliform bacteria and nitrate. Other parameters are more stable, so once you have a baseline a broader panel every few years is generally enough unless something changes.

What should well water be tested for?

Every year: total coliform bacteria, E. coli and nitrate. Periodically: hardness, iron, manganese, hydrogen sulfide, pH, arsenic and radon, plus PFAS if there is an airport, military installation or industrial site upgradient.

What nitrate level is unsafe in well water?

The federal drinking water limit for nitrate is 10 mg/L. In Virginia, a result above that must be reported to the health department within 24 hours of the owner being notified. Nitrate is most dangerous for infants and during pregnancy.

Does My Free Water Report cover private wells?

No. Every number on the site comes from testing that public water systems are required to perform and publish. A private well is outside that framework, so a ZIP code search will show a nearby utility's water rather than your own.

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4-minute read · My Free Water Report

Reviewed by Tyler Griffin, Founder, SwiftPro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing

Well water testing in Virginia: what to test for, and how often

Q: Can I test my well with a test strip?

Not for the things that matter most. Strips can indicate hardness, chlorine and pH, but they cannot resolve bacteria, nitrate at the levels that matter, or arsenic. Well testing needs a laboratory certified by the state for drinking water.

No utility, no annual report, no regulator watching. If you are on a well, the schedule is yours to keep.

If you are on a private well in Virginia, nobody is testing your water but you. There is no utility, no annual report, no regulator watching the tap. The Virginia Department of Health recommends testing every year for total coliform bacteria and nitrate, and a broader panel occasionally once you have a baseline. That is the whole rule, and most well owners have never done the first part.

This site cannot help you directly. Every number on My Free Water Report comes from testing that public water systems are required to perform and publish. A well is outside that system entirely, so typing your ZIP will show you a neighbouring utility's water, not yours. Say so plainly rather than let you assume otherwise.

The annual two: bacteria and nitrate

Water chemistry in a properly built well is usually stable, and that is why Virginia's guidance does not ask for a full panel every year. Two things are the exception, because both can change quickly and neither announces itself:

Total coliform and E. coli. Coliform bacteria are the indicator that surface water is finding a way in, through a cracked casing, a bad seal, or flooding. You cannot taste it.
Nitrate. Comes from fertiliser, septic systems and animal waste moving through groundwater. The federal limit is 10 mg/L, and Virginia requires that a result above it be reported to the health department within 24 hours. Nitrate matters most for infants and during pregnancy.

Neither test is expensive. Both are the ones that catch a problem while it is still a problem you can fix.

The occasional broader panel

Once you have a baseline, retest more broadly every few years, or sooner if anything changes. Worth including in a fuller panel:

Hardness, because it drives whether treatment makes sense and how fast your water heater builds scale. What the number means.
Iron, manganese and hydrogen sulfide, the usual causes of staining, metallic taste and the rotten-egg smell.
pH, since acidic well water quietly eats copper pipe and can put lead into the water from your own plumbing.
Arsenic and radon, which vary by geology rather than by neighbourhood.
PFAS, if there is an airport, a military installation or an industrial site upgradient of you. Why those sites specifically.

When to test right now, not next year

The water changed: taste, smell, colour or clarity.
Anyone in the house has repeated stomach illness with no other explanation.
Flooding reached the wellhead, or the well was serviced or repaired.
You are pregnant, or an infant is drinking the water.
You are buying the house. Test before closing, not after.
A neighbour's well came back positive for anything.

Where to get it done in Virginia

Two routes worth knowing. Virginia Tech runs a long-standing extension program for private well owners that periodically holds low-cost testing clinics county by county, which is usually the cheapest credible option. Otherwise, use a laboratory certified by the state for drinking water rather than a hardware-store strip: a strip cannot resolve bacteria, nitrate at the levels that matter, or arsenic. Your county health department can point you at both.

What to do with the result

Bacteria usually means shock chlorination and then finding the entry point, because disinfecting a well that is still open to surface water only buys a few weeks. Nitrate above 10 mg/L is a stop-drinking-it-for-infants result and is most reliably handled at the tap with Reverse Osmosis (RO), since boiling concentrates nitrate rather than removing it. Hardness, iron and sulfur are comfort and equipment problems with well-understood fixes, and worth sizing to your actual numbers rather than to a brochure.

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On a well and want a second opinion on the numbers?

A SwiftPro technician can test hardness at the tap, check your pressure and look at your water heater, then walk through your lab results with you and tell you which ones actually call for treatment. Free, about 30 minutes, and no obligation. We serve Northern Virginia.

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It is not a lab test and we will not pretend otherwise. Bring your lab report and we will read it with you.

Go deeper: the three ways to test your water · nitrate explained · all 14 contaminant guides