Well-water testing, contaminants and treatment guides.
Begin with certified laboratory testing and local health guidance. Then use the result—not appearance, taste or sales claims—to evaluate treatment options.
Testing and Treatment
How to Test Well Water: What to Test, When and Where to Send It
Annual bacteria and nitrate testing is the minimum. When to test for arsenic, lead, PFAS, and more.
Read guide →GuideWell Water Treatment Options: Matching the Right System to Your Test Results
Iron, arsenic, bacteria, hardness, PFAS — each contaminant needs a different treatment. How to read your water test and choose the right system.
Read guide →GuideWater Softener vs. Water Filter: Which One Does Your Well Need?
They solve different problems. How to know which you need, when you need both, and the most common mistakes.
Read guide →GuideIs Reverse Osmosis Worth It for Well Water?
When it's the right choice and when a targeted system works better.
Read guide →Symptoms You Can See and Smell
Why Well Water Smells Like Rotten Eggs
Hot water only vs. all water — one test splits the problem into two different fixes.
Read guide →GuideOrange, Black or Blue-Green Stains: What Your Well Water Is Telling You
Your stain color identifies the contaminant. Orange = iron.
Read guide →GuideCloudy or Milky Well Water: The Glass Test, Causes and Fixes
Fill a glass and wait. Clears from the bottom?
Read guide →GuideWhy Your Well Water Tastes Salty
Could be natural minerals, road salt, a softener malfunction, or saltwater intrusion. How to test and what the results mean for each cause.
Read guide →GuideTannins in Well Water: What That Tea-Colored Water Is
Tannins color your water yellow-brown and stain laundry. A softener won't fix them.
Read guide →Specific Contaminants
Coliform Bacteria in Well Water: What a Positive Test Means
Total coliform means a contamination pathway exists. E.
Read guide →GuideArsenic in Well Water
Tasteless, odorless, invisible — dissolves naturally from bedrock. The EPA limit, which regions are at risk, and treatment options that work.
Read guide →GuideNitrates in Well Water
Sources, annual testing, and the treatment options that actually work.
Read guide →GuidePFAS in Well Water: "Forever Chemicals"
Which wells are at risk, the EPA limits, and the three filter types proven to remove PFAS.
Read guide →GuideLead in Well Water
Almost always comes from inside the house — old solder, brass fittings, or a lead service line. How to test correctly and reduce exposure.
Read guide →GuideRadon in Well Water
The risk isn't from drinking — it's from breathing radon released when you run water. How to test, when to treat, and which systems work.
Read guide →GuideAcidic Well Water: What Low pH Does to Your Plumbing
Blue-green stains, pinhole leaks, metallic taste — signs your water is corroding copper pipes. How acid neutralizers work and what they cost.
Read guide →Use the guide, then confirm the local details.
Each linked guide explains its scope and assumptions. Regulations, site conditions, laboratory results and professional recommendations can change the answer for a specific property.
Need a more specific starting point?
Use the planning checklists and guides, or browse the full research library. When you are ready to contact a contractor, compare the complete quote scope—not just the headline price.