Water droplet

Small stream. Upper Treman State Park, near Ithaca, NY.
Image by A. Sinan Unur

Stream at Upper Treman Park

Water & Septic Issues


General Water Quality Issues for Consumers

Cornell Cooperative Extension's page on "Water Quality Issues for Consumers" provides consumer information about drinking water, home water treatment, wells, septic systems, bottled water, and other water quality issues to enable them to protect their health, financial resources, and local watersheds.

NY Certified Water Testing Labs - Certified Commercial Labs that accept samples from the public, and perform fee-for-service analysis; listed by county with fields of analysis for which the lab is certified by the Wadsworth Center of the NYS Department of Health.

Recommended Water Test Fact Sheet (2006) from the the Bureau of Water Supply Protection, NYS Department of Health, lists baseline tests that should be performed for new private residential wells, and addional tests that may be suggested by certain water conditions or by nearby activities.

Floods & Drinking Water

What to Do After the Flood: Private Wells - an EPA resource covering how to inspect and disinfect your private residential well after a flood,  online at:  http://water.epa.gov/drink/info/well/whatdo.cfm or as a PDF

Private wells & Septic Systems- What to do if your well is involved in a flood
links to: CUCE Water Quality Information for Consumers

Flood Recovery: Restoring Water Wells- a 4-page document from the NY State Department of Health about well assessment, repair and disinfection following a flood.

Dealing with a Boil Water Order: 2-page document from Cornell University Cooperative Extension on boiling and/or disinfecting water to make it safe to use.

Last updated March 17, 2020