Water and 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.

For local water testing we recommend contacting:

• Capital Region Environmental Laboratory

(518) 949 -2020

137 Columbia Tpke.

Rensselaer, NY 12144

• Oneonta Water Treatment Plant

(607-433-3486)

110 East St

Oneonta, NY 13820

• NY Certified Water Testing Labs- For additional 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 Bureau of Water Supply Protection, NYS Department of Health, lists baseline tests that should be performed for new private residential wells, and addtional 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: https://www.epa.gov/privatewells.

• 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 June 26, 2023