What is the Grants-to-Counties Program?
The Grants-to-Counties program's goal is to provide free water testing to Iowa residents whose primary source of drinking water comes from private wells.

How Can I Get My Well Water Tested?
If you are interested in having your well water tested for total coliform bacteria and nitrate at no cost, contact the environmental health specialist (county sanitarian) at your local health department to find out if they participate in the Grants-to-Counties program. If they participate, work with them to get your private well water tested. (If your county doesn't participate in the Grants-to-Counties program, you can contact University Hygienic Laboratory or another laboratory directly to get your water tested for a fee).

I've Got My Test Results, Now What?
If there is a problem with the well water and the county sanitarian thinks additional testing is needed, the county sanitarian will either contact the University Hygienic Laboratory to perform a more complex test for contaminants like pesticides, or provide additional guidance for improving the quality of your well water.

How Much Do These Services Cost?

• If your county participates in the Grants-to-Counties program, it has funds to cover the cost for the initial tests of total coliform bacteria and nitrate.
• The University Hygienic Laboratory’s Grants-to-Counties cover further analytical testing for other contaminants, such as pesticides, in wells with nitrate levels greater than 10 mg/L (as N) and are bacterially safe. University Hygienic Laboratory also has funds to test your well water if it poses a direct health threat because of extenuating circumstances such as a chemical spill near the well or an accidental back-siphoning.
  Other circumstances could also include:
  • a sudden change in taste, color or smell of the water
  • chemical storage near the well such as an above or below ground fuel tank
  • a well inundated by flood waters
• Funds for the Grants-to-Counties program are provided as mandated by the Groundwater Protection Act of 1987.
• These funds are provided to local county health departments and University Hygienic Laboratory to carry out the mission of this program.