Do you suspect that your water may contain unhealthy levels of contaminants? For the public’s protection, Congress enacted the Clean Water Drinking Act in 1974 and strengthened it in 1986, setting minimum water quality standards for most homeowners.

Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that all utilities comply with the regulations. Enforcement is difficult on national, state, and local levels; not all known contaminants are on the list; and all testing isn’t necessarily accurate.

Fortunately, our biggest water suppliers—large metropolitan systems—tend to have the best drinking water because they have the equipment and resources for frequent, mandated testing (the frequency of testing depends on the number of people served).

It’s also reassuring to know that when something goes wrong, utilities are required to notify their customers. Wells are another story. Systems that serve fewer than 25 people or 15 service connections are regulated only by state and local laws or by their owners.

Why we like it: • Checks for presence of 8contaminants, including hardness and lead • Great way to pre-screen before labtesting • Easy to use

Unless issued by your local health department, “free home water testing” offers are usually a come-on to get you to buy water-treatment devices after a couple of carefully staged tests. The only way to be sure your water has harmful pollutants is to have it tested by an independent lab.

Unfortunately, you must test for each type of pollutant separately, which can be very expensive. If you get your water from a municipal utility, quality can change daily, so most tests are worthless (and usually unnecessary). Nevertheless, it may be a good idea to check for lead because lead can leach into the water from old lead-based plumbing.

You can also discover plenty of information without testing. Call your health department or water supplier and request copies of water-treatment reports and note any violations. Find out the frequency and scope of the tests. Ask whether your area is known for any particular hazards, especially those that might enter water between the treatment plant and your tap.

If you have a well, at the very least check it once for mineral content, lead, and radon (where radon is a threat) and once or twice a year for bacteria and nitrate. If you have concerns about contaminants in well water, contact your local health department for a recommended course of action. It may handle certain tests, such as bacterial testing. A partial chemical test that will detect magnesium, calcium, sodium, iron, fluoride, chloride, and nitrate is usually relatively affordable. To test for chemicals such as solvents, pesticides, and petroleum products can be very expensive because each requires its own test.

Find an independent testing lab by asking your water utility or your state health department for a recommendation or checking “Laboratories” in the telephone directory or on the Internet. Or, you can contact one of the mail-order laboratories that specialize in affordably priced water analysis, such as National Testing Labs (800-458-3330) or Suburban Water Testing (800-433-6595). They will send you the proper supplies and instructions for collecting a sample, which you mail back. A lead-only test costs about $35; a comprehensive test for bacteria, organics, and inorganics runs $137–$167.

Once you have reports or test results, compare them with the EPA’s maximum allowable contaminant levels. (For a free copy of these listings, go to www.epa.gov or call the EPA’s National Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791.) Note any pollutants that exceed federal standards. Record these, and then use this list to select an appropriate water-treatment device.