State-certified labs test water samples homeowners collect, returning results in days. Health departments prioritize testing for E. coli, a bacterium from warm-blooded animals that causes severe illness, and nitrate levels. Any detectable bacteria in drinking water is unacceptable.
So we basically, we use a number of laboratories, they're all state-certified laboratories that do the water testing for us. So we do the draw, we take the sample to the laboratory, and in a few days we get a report. But to answer your question specifically, bacteria and nitrates are the most common, that's what the health departments recommend because bacteria, you're not allowed to have any bacteria in your water that you drink, it can make you sick. The main one that a lot of people identify is called E. coli, that's found in the gut of warm mammals and that can make you really, really sick, so you rule that out.
