You are in: Front page / Aquifer Water / Testing a Private Well in Geneva, Chuluota and Beyond
Aquifer Water · Geneva · Chuluota · Black Hammock · Oviedo · Sanford
Testing a Private Well in Geneva, Chuluota and Beyond
Private well water testing in Florida is up to the owner: no law requires it, but the health department urges a bacteria and nitrate test every year and lead every three years.
East of Lake Jesup and out along the river, plenty of homes still pump their own water. Nobody from the state comes around to check it. The Florida Department of Health says plainly that Florida has no requirement for routine private well sampling, so the schedule is yours to keep.
How often should a private well be tested?
Once a year for bacteria and nitrate, and every three years for lead. That is the Florida DOH recommendation for household wells. Its disinfection sheet adds that you should also test any time the water's taste, odor or appearance changes. If a test finds E. coli or fecal coliform, DOH says not to use the water for drinking, cooking or bathing until the problem is fixed and a retest comes back clean.
Where do you take a sample, and what does it cost?
Start with the county health department. According to DOH, staff there will walk you through drawing the sample at home, that testing usually runs $20 to $30 per sample, and that you should always use a state-certified laboratory. Fees differ by county and change from year to year, so confirm before you go.
In Seminole County, the DOH-Seminole fee schedule lists lab analysis at $20 per sample. Across the line in Orange County, DOH-Orange charges $49 for a coliform bacteria test, $44 for fecal coliform, $51 for lead and $62 for nitrate, with results in about two weeks.
Dollars per test as posted by DOH-Seminole and DOH-Orange; fees change, so check first
Source: DOH-Seminole fee schedule; DOH-Orange drinking water
What should a test show before anyone sells you equipment?
The safety results come first: bacteria, nitrate and, on the three-year cycle, lead. Then, if the water smells, stains or scales, ask the lab for hydrogen sulfide, iron, manganese, hardness and dissolved oxygen. Those numbers decide what kind of treatment can work at all; for example, Penn State Extension says plain aeration is rarely the answer once hydrogen sulfide passes roughly 2 mg/L. Our rotten-egg smell and water softeners stories walk through matching equipment to those results.
Keep in mind that a smelly well is not necessarily a dirty one. Florida DOH says the rotten-egg smell usually does not relate to how clean the water is, so a filter that cures the odor does nothing to replace the yearly bacteria test.
When should a well be disinfected?
DOH lists these times to shock chlorinate a well:
When Florida DOH says to disinfect a private well
| Situation | What DOH advises |
|---|---|
| A test shows coliform bacteria | Disinfect and retest; with E. coli or fecal coliform, don't drink, cook or bathe with it |
| The well flooded or sat near flood water | Use bottled or stored water only; have it disinfected and lab-tested before anyone drinks it |
| New plumbing, softeners or filters installed or repaired | Disinfect, then retest |
| The well or pump was repaired | Disinfect, then retest |
| Water tastes different or smells musty | Disinfect, then retest |
| The system restarts after being shut off or drained | Disinfect, then retest |
The home method in DOH's well disinfection sheet uses unscented 6.0% laundry bleach, with amounts set by well depth and width, so use DOH's table rather than guessing. It has you bypass softeners and filters, shut off power to the water heater at the breaker and drain it, let the chlorinated water sit at least eight hours or overnight, flush it outdoors, and retest with a certified lab before drinking. If your pump sits in a pit, the well flows on its own, or the sanitary seal has no threaded plug, DOH says to have a licensed well contractor or pump installer do it.
Disinfection has limits. DOH notes it will not fix a well contaminated by a poorly placed septic system, a damaged well, or chemicals such as nitrate, arsenic, fuel or pesticides.
What if the well floods?
If floodwater reached the well, don't drink, cook or brush teeth with it until the well has been disinfected and a lab test comes back clean; use bottled or stored water in the meantime. Boiling is not a fix for a flooded well, because it does nothing about fuel or chemicals the flood may have carried in. Contact the county health department about sampling. Our flooded wells and septic story covers storm season in more detail.
Who permits a new well?
The county health department, not the water management district. The St. Johns River Water Management District says it does not permit individual residential wells and that private wells are permitted at the county level, though its construction rules still apply and a completion report should be filed afterward. DOH-Seminole's fee schedule lists permits for a private potable or irrigation well, a well repair or modification, and abandonment of an old well. DOH-Orange says to use a driller licensed by one of Florida's water management districts.
What's different about wells around here?
The water underfoot varies a lot from place to place. USGS found chloride in the Upper Floridan across Seminole County ranging from 6.2 to 5,300 milligrams per liter, lowest in the western recharge areas and near Geneva. DOH-Seminole also handles specific worries such as a well that smells like gasoline, so call them rather than guessing.
Living with a septic tank and a well on the same lot? Our septic pumping and care notes are worth a read.
Readers often ask
Does Seminole County require my well to be tested when I sell the house?
Florida has no routine testing rule for private home wells, and we found no county rule tied to a sale. Ask your real estate agent what the buyer's side expects.
Can I collect the well sample myself?
Yes. DOH says the county health department will explain how, and the sample should go to a state-certified laboratory.
My well water smells like sulfur. Is it unsafe?
DOH says the smell usually doesn't tell you whether the water is clean, and sulfur bacteria are not harmful. Only a bacteria test answers the safety question.
Do I need to disinfect after installing a softener?
DOH lists installing or repairing softeners and filters among the times to shock chlorinate, followed by a retest before drinking.
Who do I call about a well that smells like gasoline?
DOH-Seminole asks residents to call its drinking water office about a gasoline odor in well water. Don't drink it in the meantime.
Where this came from
- Florida DOH — Private Well Water Testing — testing schedule, typical cost, certified labs
- Florida DOH — Well Water Facts: Well Disinfection — when and how to disinfect, limits
- Florida DOH — What Should I Do if My Well is Flooded? — testing and disinfecting after a flood
- DOH-Seminole — Fee schedule — lab and well permit fees
- DOH-Orange — Drinking Water — test fees, licensed drillers
- SJRWMD — FAQs — residential well permits at county level
- USGS — Floridan aquifer system, Seminole County — chloride range
- Florida DOH — Well Water Facts: Odor & Staining — smell versus cleanliness
- Penn State Extension — Hydrogen Sulfide in Water Wells — aeration limit
- EPA — Resolving Septic System Malfunctions — nitrates or coliform in wells as a septic warning sign