Full Notification

Drive-through Water Testing event planned for Raritan Township Area Residents

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect lives and daily routines, local watershed watchdog Raritan Headwaters Association (RHA) reminds homeowners with wells not to forget annual water quality testing.

“Now more than ever, the water you drink is vitally important to your health,” said Mara Tippett, RHA’s well testing manager. “It’s more important than ever to know that the water coming out of your tap is safe.”

To make well testing more convenient for residents, RHA is partnering with the Raritan Township Environmental Commission to hold a 3-day Well Testing event at Lenape Park, allowing drive-through purchases of testing kits and same-day drop-offs of water samples.

Test kits will be available for purchase on October 13^th, 14^th, and 15^th at Lenape Park, 114 Sergeantsville Rd, Flemington. Just look for the big blue RHA van parked in the lot! Residents can pick up a test kit with instructions between 8 and 10 a.m. Water samples may then be dropped off at Lenape Park until 11 a.m. that same day, or to the Raritan Headwaters office at 124 Main Street, Flemington any Monday or Wednesday morning before 10:30 am.

Residents are asked to wear masks and stay in their cars. When they drive up to the RHA van, Raritan Headwaters staff members will greet them, answer their questions, and provide the test kit.

Why Test Your Well?
“The only way to know if your water is safe to drink is by testing it,” said Tippett. “You can’t control everything in your life, but you can control testing your well water.”

Four out of five residents in the upper Raritan River watershed region get their drinking water from private wells.  Wells can become contaminated with a variety of pollutants, ranging from coliform bacteria from faulty septic systems, to nitrates from lawn and farm fertilizers, to naturally occurring arsenic in the ground. In addition, lead from plumbing can contaminate water as it runs through pipes in the house.

While annual testing of public water systems is mandated, no such requirement exists for water from private wells. Testing of private wells is not required unless a property is being sold.

The most common well tests offered by Raritan Headwaters are for coliform bacteria and nitrates (recommended annually), but residents may also test for lead, arsenic, radon, gross alpha (uranium and radium) and volatile organic compounds. Testing is done by a certified laboratory that works with RHA, and results are available by email in about two weeks.

For more information about the upcoming event, visit the Raritan Headwaters website at www.testmywell.org or contact the Raritan Headwaters Well Testing office at 908-234-1852 ext. 401 or [email protected]. To learn more about Raritan Headwaters and its programs, please visit www.raritanheadwaters.org.