Iowa’s Private Wells Often Go Untested, Posing Unknown Health Risks

"Roughly 288,000 Iowans rely on private water supplies but may not know what is in their water because their wells’ water quality is unregulated.

Moreover, many well owners IowaWatch spoke with during an investigation this past year in counties across southwest Iowa said they largely were unconcerned about their wells, even though tests revealed high levels of nitrates and bacteria in some of their wells.

That could put their health, and the health of their families at risk.

IowaWatch spent the past year researching wells and testing samples looking at four common contaminants: nitrogen, bacteria, arsenic and lead and, similar to a number of scientific studies in the past, found a large percentage of wells with high nitrate and bacteria levels."

Lauren Shotwell reports for IowaWatch December 20, 2016.