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EPA Web Site <br />It I have a private well, how can I have it tested for E. coli? <br />If you have a private well, you should have your water tested periodically. Contact your <br />State laboratory certification officer to find out which laboratories have been certified for <br />conducting total coliform analyses. (You may contact the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at <br />1-800-426-4791 for the address and phone number of this individual.) Then contact a <br />certified lab near you and get instructions on how to send them a water sample. Typically, • <br />the lab will first test for total coliforms, which is a group of related organisms that is - . <br />common in both the environment and in the gut of animals. If the sample is positive for <br />total coliforms, the lab will determine whether E. coli is also present. E, coli is a type of <br />total coliform that is closely associated with recent fecal contamination. Few E. coli <br />strains cause disease. However, the presence of any E. coli in a water sample suggests <br />that disease-causing organisms, are also likely to be present. <br />One of the strains of E. coli that causes disease is E. coli O157:H7. EPA does not believe <br />it necessary for an owner of a private well to test spec~cally for this organism under <br />normal circumstances. If E. coli O157:H7 is present in your well, d is highly likely that <br />other strains of E. coli are also present. If a well is E. coli-positive, regardless of strain, <br />you should not drink the water unless it is disinfected. Several tests are available for <br />determining whether E. coli O157:H7 is present, but they are somewhat more expensive <br />than the standard E. coli tests and many labs may not have the expertise or supplies to <br />perform these tests. Your state's laboratory certification officer should be able to tell you <br />which laboratories can pertorm these tests, or you can contact the lab directly. <br />If my well is contaminated with E. coli, what can I do to protect myself? <br />If your well tests positive for E. coli, do not drink the water unless you boil it for at least <br />one minute at a rolling boil, longer if you live at high altitudes. You may also disinfect the <br />well according to procedures recommended by your local health department. Monitor your <br />water periodically after disinfection to make certain that the problem does not recur. If the <br />contamination is a recurring problem, you should investigate the feasibility of drilling a new <br />well or install apoint-of-entry disinfection unit, which can use chlorine, ultraviolet light, or <br />ozone. <br />