Pesticides in Water Test Kit

We have previously mentioned that many people have started to pay closer attention to the quality of their well water when it comes to pesticides. In this case we’d like to point out that the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, abbreviated as MDA, but not to be confused with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, has put together a video that educates homeowners on the dangers of atrazine in their well water and ways to test for it.

The MDA also suggests that state residents with private wells also keep an eye on bacteria and nitrate levels. Elevated levels of either in drinking water can result in severe illness and some cases even death.

Pretty much just like every other source we have ever found, the MDA definitely agrees with the idea of private well owners taking a sincere interest in monitoring the quality of the water coming out of their water wells. That message will certainly shine through in the following quote:

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has created a video, educating homeowners on how to test private wells for atrazine. This video explains some of the ways a well could become contaminated, provides a step-by-step procedure for screening a well, and what to do if atrazine is detected. Information regarding other common contaminants is also provided.

 

The video is available online at www.mda.state.mn.us/privatewelltesting, where additional information on pesticides and well testing is also available.

 

In Minnesota, private well owners are responsible for testing their own wells. While state agencies periodically conduct surveys of water quality in private wells, it is ultimately the responsibility of the well owner to monitor for drinking water contaminants, including atrazine. Nitrates and Escherichia coli (E.coli) are perhaps the most common and important contamination concerns for private wells.

 

Atrazine concentrations in private wells are expected to be absent or below current health-based guidance of three parts per billion (ppb) set by the Minnesota Department of Health. Nevertheless, there is always a potential for atrazine contamination of drinking water in high atrazine use areas and geologically vulnerable areas. ( source )

So, just like everywhere else, owners of private wells in Minnesota must also accept ultimate responsibility for the quality of the water their wells produce. No government agency has the authority to force well owners to test their water and more importantly, no government agency will begin an investigation into sources of groundwater contamination if no one provides them with test data indicating a potential problem may exist.

A member of Congress is seeking to ban one of the nation’s most widely-used herbicides, which has turned up in drinking water in some states. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) is for the second time proposing legislation that would outlaw any use or trade of atrazine.

Atrazine is most commonly sprayed on cornfields, and can run off into rivers and streams that supply drinking water. As the Huffington Post Investigative Fund reported in a series of articles last fall, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency failed to warn the public that the weed-killer had been found at levels above federal safety limits in drinking water in at least four states. A coalition of Midwestern communities — along with the nation’s largest private water utility — is suing atrazine’s manufacturer, Syngenta, seeking to have it pay to filter the chemical from public water.

Steven Goldman, spokesman for Syngenta, did not comment specifically on the proposed bill or on the prospect of a nationwide ban.

Read more: U.S. Congressman Renews Attempts to Ban Controversial Herbicide Atrazine

Not sure if your drinking water contains atrazine or other potentially harmful drinking water contaminants? The following information about testing for atrazine might come in handy, then:

Pesticide in Water Test Atrazine & Simazine 2 Tests for Each

National Testing Labs 83 Water Parameters 20 Pesticides/Herbicides

Want our advice? Of course you do!

If you live w/in 50 to 100 miles of an agricultural area and have a well, or your local water system draws from a well located near agricultural areas, either get your water tested for atrazine as well as other pesticides and herbicides several times a year — especially after periods of heavy rain and/or runoff.

Test kits such as the Pesticide Test Kit for atrazine and simazine work well as occasional screening methods but when it comes to giving the final word on whether or not your water contains harmful contaminants, always turn to the experts at a certified drinking water testing lab such as National Testing Labs.