Water Testing near you

Bacteriological tests look for indicator organisms rather than every possible germ. Public Health Ontario explains that E. coli is normally found only in the digestive systems of people and animals, so its presence means fecal contamination, while coliforms are also found in soil and vegetation as well as in animal waste and sewage. Chemical tests are a separate request at the lab, and the right list depends on local geology and land use.

Health Canada recommends testing well water for microbial contamination at least once every 6 months and says the right frequency for chemicals depends on the contaminant, so ask your local public health authority. The Quebec government recommends a microbiological analysis at least twice a year and a test for chemical contaminants at least once during the time you use the well. Ontario suggests testing regularly to learn how much your water varies: some wells are stable, while others change often and need more frequent tests.

Beyond the routine schedule, some events make contamination more likely and call for a test right away. Health Canada and Quebec's environment ministry both list them.

Health Canada says only tests done through an accredited laboratory or your local public health unit are accurate and reliable. In Ontario, Public Health Ontario tests private well water free of charge for E. coli and total coliforms, with sample bottles available from its laboratories, public health units and designated pickup locations; the sample must be tested within 48 hours of collection. Chemical testing goes to a private accredited laboratory.

In Quebec, the government advises contacting an accredited laboratory before sampling, since the lab supplies the proper containers and instructions, and the environment ministry's well water leaflet links to the list of accredited laboratories. Using the lab's own bottle matters: a sample in the wrong container, or one that takes too long to reach the lab, may be rejected or give a misleading result.

Health Canada's guideline for E. coli in drinking water is none detectable per 100 mL, so any E. coli in a well sample means the water isn't safe to drink as is. Health Canada advises boiling water used for drinking, cooking and brushing teeth, or using another safe source, while you shock disinfect the well and correct the cause. Its guideline document adds that the system should be flushed and retested, and that contamination that persists calls for a closer look at what is causing it.

Total coliforms without E. coli usually suggest that surface water or soil is getting into the well, often through a loose cap, a damaged casing or poor drainage, so have a well contractor inspect the wellhead; disinfecting without fixing the entry point rarely lasts. For a chemical result above a guideline, the answer is treatment chosen for that specific contaminant or another source of water. Our water filtration and water softener pages cover the options, and a follow-up test after installation confirms that the system works.

On city water, bacteria are the utility's concern, but lead can come from the house itself or from the pipe that connects it to the main. Health Canada's limit for lead in drinking water is 0.005 mg/L, and because the National Plumbing Code allowed lead pipe until 1975, older homes are the ones worth testing. Some cities make it easy: the City of Toronto tests residents' drinking water samples for lead free of charge at one of Toronto Water's accredited labs, and in Montréal residents can ask the City to check whether their service line is lead.