Ringgold County’s water testing programs are provided to ensure a safe water supply for drinking. If you obtain your drinking water from a private well and would like to have it tested, please contact the Ringgold County Environmental Health office at 641-464-0691. Water tests through the Grants-to-Counties Program are FREE.
Water Testing Available in Ringgold County
- Arsenic
- E coli
- Manganese
- Nitrates
- Total Coliform Bacteria
Our staff makes every effort to determine the source of contamination for unacceptable test results, and then works with the well owner to make necessary corrections to ensure a safe drinking water supply.
Coliform Bacteria
Total coliform bacteria testing provides an indication of the bacteriological quality of the drinking water. The presence of coliform bacteria in a drinking water supply indicates contamination from surface or shallow subsurface sources such as soil, septic or cesspool leakage, animal feedlot runoff, treatment failures, etc. Their presence also suggests that disease-causing organisms may enter the drinking water supply in the same manner.
E. Coli Bacteria
E. coli bacteria are commonly found in sewage, septic system discharge and animal manure. Presence of E. coli bacteria suggests that water containing human or animal waste products is entering the water supply. This poses a serious health threat because disease-producing organisms are often found in these wastes.
Nitrate
Nitrate is used in fertilizer and is found in sewage and wastes from humans and/or farm animals and generally gets into drinking water from those activities. Excessive levels of nitrate in drinking water have caused serious illness and sometimes death in infants less than six months of age. The serious illness in infants is caused because nitrate is converted to nitrite in the body. Nitrite interferes with the oxygen-carrying capacity of the child’s blood.
Get the Forms You Need
The information required for testing water from a private well can be accessed by clicking here.
Contact Us
- Phone: (641) 464-0691
- Fax: (641) 464-2476
- Email: kkaster@rcph.net