Georgia has a substantial private-well population, spread from the agricultural south of the state up through the Piedmont and mountainous north. Private wells are not regulated under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, and testing — and paying for it — is the well owner’s responsibility.
Why test
None of the common contaminants below have a reliable taste, odor, or color at concerning levels, so a well can look and taste completely fine while still testing positive.
What to test for
A baseline panel for a Georgia well should include:
- Total coliform bacteria and E. coli — a standard first check for whether the well may be vulnerable to contamination.
- Nitrate — a documented concern in south Georgia’s agricultural areas, tied to fertilizer and livestock operations; especially important for households preparing infant formula with well water.
- Arsenic — worth including in a baseline panel, particularly for wells in areas with documented natural mineral deposits.
- Lead — mainly relevant to household plumbing rather than the source water.
- Radon — north Georgia’s Piedmont bedrock has documented radon in some areas; ask your lab whether this is worth adding for your specific county.
The Georgia Department of Public Health also offers a chemical screening panel (the W33C / Private Well Chemical Test) designed specifically for private well owners, which covers a broader set of parameters than a bacteria-and-nitrate baseline alone.
How often to test
EPA guidance recommends testing private wells for bacteria and nitrate at least annually, and again any time water quality changes noticeably, after well or plumbing work, or after flooding.
Where to find a certified lab
The Georgia Department of Public Health’s well-water page (see the source link above) provides guidance for private well owners, including a link to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s list of certified laboratories, and notes that bacterial test kits and the W33C chemical panel are often available through your local county health department or University of Georgia Extension office.
After you test
If a result comes back above a health-based guideline, see our filter guides for which technologies are certified to address that specific contaminant.