WATER TESTING
WHAT TO TEST FOR
HOW TO TAKE SAMPLES
WHOM TO CALL TO DO THE TESTS
General Information
There are numerous professional water testing labs in the country.
Look in your local phone book under "water testing." If none is listed
locall, check your nearest metropolitan phone book, or do a search online.
Labs can test for anything you want to know about, and the list of things
to test for is immense. If you do not specifically request certain
items to be tested for, most labs offer a package of the most commonly
requested water conditions, and have set fees for items tested. Usually
the results will be mailed to you when completed.
For residents of Whidbey
Island:
To have your
water tested on Whidbey Island, the most thorough and accurate tests
are done through Laucks Testing
Laboratories, Inc. in Seattle. To deal directly, write
to 940 S. Harney, Seattle, WA 98108,
or call (206) 767-5060. Otherwise, sterile
sampling bottles are available
and collected at the following local sites:
B & W in Freeland
Langley City Hall
Jim's Hardware in Clinton
Department of Health in Coupeville
Culligan in Oak Harbor
A second
option to taking your own sample is to have someone come to your personal
site and do the sampling.
The Laucks representative comes to your area on regularly
scheduled times for a fee of $25.00,
and will deliver your sample to the labs in Seattle.
The minimum testing charge is $35.00.
The results will be available within two weeks.
Call Shelly Ess: (360) 678-2913.
Each item
tested has a designated fee. As of this printing, the costs of
the items listed
on the Aqua Alternatives survey
sheet follow:
pH $5.00
Fe (iron) $15.00
sulphate $15.00
manganese $15.00
turbidity $15.00
nitrates $15.00
hardness $15.00
TDS $15.00
coliform bacteria $18.00
tannins & lignins $26.00
Not all
of these items need to be tested, depending on your individual situation.
For more information, contact:
AQUA ALTERNATIVES
Dean Petrich
2131 E. Middle Drive
Freeland, WA 98249-9516
(360) 730-7992
petrich@whidbey.com