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Rockbridge residents who rely on a well, spring, or cistern system for their drinking water have an opportunity to have their water tested at a significant discount through the Virginia Tech water quality testing laboratory in June. The deadline for registering for the Virginia Tech Household Water Quality Program is this coming up on Monday, June 5.
People who wish to sign up for the water testing program should go online to https://tinyurl.com/ VCE-Rockbridge-VAHWQP, where they can provide their information and pay electronically through a secure online system. Folks that do not have internet access or who need assistance with registering for the water quality testing program can contact me, Tom Stanley, through the Rockbridge Extension office at (540) 463-4734 or by email to [email protected]. Cost is $65 for each sample and registrants can submit multiple samples if they wish.
The water test will measure bacteria, lead, copper, arsenic, iron, manganese, pH, hardness, sodium, sulfate, fluoride, and nitrate. This analysis would normally cost over $150 from a private water testing laboratory. It is important to note that while the results of the Virginia Tech water quality testing lab are very reliable and can be used for making home water treatment decisions, the Virginia Tech water testing lab is not a “certified” lab and, therefore, the test results are not a suitable reference for the purposes of real estate transactions or litigation.
Participants in the program will need to pick up their sample kits on Monday, June 12, between 7 and 10 a.m. at the Roy Smith Parking Lot, 134 N. Randolph St., Lexington (below the Rockbridge County Administration Building near bottom of the hill). Participants will need to draw their samples first thing Wednesday morning, June 14, and bring them back to the same parking lot location between 7 and 10 a.m. Program participants who need alternative pick-up and drop-off times can contact me to explore options. The water sample must be kept cool and the timeframe for delivery to the lab does not allow much flexibility for drop-off of water samples.
More details on Virginia Tech’s Department of Biological Systems and Engineering Water Testing Program are available at https://www.wellwater.bse. vt.edu/. Learn more about how to take the water sample by watching the three-minute video by going to this website, click on “Well Water Testing” and then under Sample Collection click on “sampling directions.” If you have questions about participating in the Virginia Tech Household Water Quality Testing Program, call me at (540) 4634734 or send email to [email protected].
