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Understanding Your Results

Help interpreting your drinking water test results from the lab.

Getting your water samples to a certified drinking water lab for testing is a big step - but then what do you do with the results?  Interpreting the paperwork the lab sends you can be daunting.  Below is an example results page for a Well Safe I test, annotated with definitions of some of the terms.  Inletkeeper's Outreach & Monitoring Coordinator can sit down with you to better understand what the numbers mean, and there are a variety of online resources available.  The University of Montana has a great publication that lists parameters, the ranges of potential values, and a clear interpretation of each.  Check it out here and get a better idea of your water quality.

 

Example of Analytica water test results

Example of test results.

 

Explanation of Results

The Parameter column indicates which water quality parameter is being reported on in that line.

The Result column lists the results from the test for each water quality parameter. Sometimes it is listed in number form. Other times it is listed as “PASS” or “FAIL” or as <MRL.

“PASS” indicates that the amount of that contaminant present does not exceed harmful levels;

“FAIL” indicates that it does. The PASS/FAIL form of measurement is only used for bacteria testing because bacteria are measured on a presence versus absence basis.

MRL stands for Method Reporting Limit. <MRL means that the amount of contaminant present is less than the lab instrument used to measure it could detect.

MCL stands for Maximum Contaminant Limit. The MCL column displays the amount in which the contaminant measured should not exceed. Should your results indicate that you water contains a greater amount of contaminant than listed in the MCL column, your water could be harmful to your health. On the example above Iron, Manganese, Copper, and Lead all surpass their MCL.  In cases where the results are greater than the MCL you will notice that there is an “H” in the Flags column. The “H” flag indicates that the contaminant exceeds the EPA health standard.

In the example you can see that for Lead the MCL is 15 ug/L and the amount present in the participants well water (as shown in the results column) is 157 ug/L. There is an H in the flag column.

 

More Resources

Cook Inletkeeper can help to answer questions regarding the results that Analytica returns to you. Call us or come by our office: 

Cook Inletkeeper
3734 Ben Walters Lane
Homer, Alaska  99603
tel. 907.235.4068 x29   
fax 907.235.4069
rachel@inletkeeper.org