The Private Well Testing Act’s Standards; What They Could Suggest For Ocean County

BY: Dana Kelly

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES LAB (ENVL 4305)

SPRING 2020

STOCKTON UNIVERSITY
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND GEOLOGY PROGRAM
Instructor: Dr. Tait Chirenje
Abstract
In New Jersey, privately owned wells operate under The NJ Private Well Testing Act.
This act mandates tests on private wells only when there’s a transfer of ownership for the
property and otherwise recommendeds intervals at which to test certain aspects of wells.
(Atherholt, T. B., 2006) However, lack of mandatory testing may pose a threat to those on private
wells who don’t test their water frequently. Data to support this theory is first displayed in this
lab using the Currently Known Extent of Groundwater Pollutants to find the most common
groundwater pollutants within Ocean County. To follow this data, data from sampling a set
number of wells within Ocean County shows the top ten contaminants that would typically be
monitored by National Primary Drinking Water Regulations and then the top four that would fall
under the Secondary Drinking Water Standards. The Private Well Testing Act Summary is then
included to better understand how common certain issues are within local wells. Lastly, a map is
shown to better visualize the commonality and stretch of contaminants. After viewing the
standards public drinking is held to compared to private as well as the possibilities for
contamination, the data suggests that private wells should be held to a higher standard as well.

Introduction
A majority of the New Jersey population gets their water supply from public water
systems. These water systems go through a set of federal and state regulation systems to assure
they’re up to standard for their use; the tests ran to assure these federal and state regulations are
done in a scheduled manner as required. However, an estimated 12% of New Jersey’s population
is using private wells instead. (Atherholt, T. B., 2006) These private wells abide by The NJ
Private Well Testing Act. This act offers recommendations; for example, coliform and nitrates
should be tested yearly at the very least while arsenic and VOCs should be tested every five
years. The recommendations are just that though, private well owners aren’t mandated to test
their wells unless there is a change in land ownership. The average cost for these tests is an
estimated $450-650. (Story Map Series.)
While there is the option to get private wells tested on a schedule to assure safety, testing
being mandated only during transfer of land ownership allows for lack of testing. Some
properties stay under the same ownership for prolonged periods of time, suggesting that some
wells may go years or even decades without testing.
In the time gone without testing, wells could become dangerous in several ways. Table 1
displays the overall most common groundwater pollutants in Ocean County. Any of these
pollutants have the capability to end up in private wells.
Table 2 goes more in depth with this, showing the top ten contaminants found in a set
number of tested wells within Ocean County that would normally fall under the National Primary
Drinking Water Regulations. The National Primary Drinking Water Regulations are legally
enforceable primary standards and treatment techniques that apply to public water systems and
protect the public health by limiting contaminant levels. (National Primary Drinking Water
Regulations) As mentioned, private wells are not held to this standard that is meant to ensure
public health. While the contaminants in Table 2 mostly don’t exceed the maximum contaminant
level (MCL), many of the contaminants are still present. When considering the health effects
listed within Table 2 as well as the fact the data only considers a set number of tested wells and
not all wells, a risk could still be posed.
 Table 3 is similar to Table 2 but instead compares Secondary Drinking Water Standards.
Secondary drinking standards are less enforceable as they’re more so cosmetic and aesthetic
effects. The EPA doesn’t doesn’t require them unless certain excesses take place. In the event of
this, public notice is required, further protecting those relying on public water. (Secondary
Drinking Water Standards) An important note to make regarding Table 3 is the iron levels, which
can then be applied to Table 4 where it’s found that 20-30% of private wells exceed suggested
iron levels.
Table 4 is a summary of The Private Well Testing Act. It shows how many wells that
were tested exceed standards. This information is important to recognize that not only are the
contaminants within the previous tables in the area, but some wells are experiencing the effects
of them to a potentially harmful extent.
Figure 1 is supplemental to offer a visual aid as to how dispersed and frequent
contaminants mentioned are across Ocean County. With the knowledge of contaminants and
water issues that area faces, as well as the health effects when contamination occurs, it’s clear
that lack of testing within private wells poses a risk to anybody who drinks from or owns a
private well.

Methods
Data was collected first from NJDEP to determine the CKE of Groundwater Pollutants.
This data was gone through and sorted by amount to display the top ten Groundwater Pollutants
in Ocean County. To go more in depth, data was then collected from water quality tests run
within the parameters of wells. This data was sorted as well to determine what contaminants
made up areas around/containing wells. Finally, a map was created containing a majority of the
data using points from these tests. The data was analyzed and better understood through the
National Primary Drinking Water Stands, the secondary standards, the statistics of wells which
do not meet standard, and the potential health effects of this.
Content Page

Title 1

Abstract 2

Introduction 2-3

Methods 3

Table 1-4 5-9

Figure 1 9

Results/Discussion 10

Conclusion 10-11

Sources 12
Table 1: Top Ten Most Common Groundwater Pollutants in Ocean County, According to
NJDEP
Pollutant Shape Area

Carbon Tetrachloride; 1,1,1-TCA; TCE 0.0006219292203

Lead 0.000317787133

PCE 0.0002047560956

TCE 0.0001988572712

Mercury 0.0001267345697

PCE; TCE 0.0001242271737

Chloroform 0.0001189298618

Mixed Volatile Organic Compounds 0.0001012819272

1,2-DCE; 1,1,1-TCE 0.00009521371314

Benzene 0.00007836629553

(NJDEP)
Table 2: Top Ten Individual Contaminants in Ocean County That Are Applicable to
National Primary Drinking Water Regulations Based on A Set Number of Wells Sampled
Within The County

Contaminant mg/L Found in mg/L Maximum Potential Health

Sampling Across Contaminant Level Effects from Long
County* (MCL) Term Exposure
Above MCL

Nitrogen 12.056 10 Infants below the age

of six months who
drink water
containing nitrate in
excess of the MCL
could become
seriously ill and, if
untreated, may die.
Symptoms include
shortness of breath
and blue-baby
syndrome.

Barium 0.22 2 Increase in blood

pressure

Copper 0.0098 1.3 Short term exposure:

Gastrointestinal
distress

Long term exposure:

Liver or kidney
damage

Chromium 0.00573 0.1 Allergic dermatitis

Lead 0.00443 0.015 Infants and children:

Delays in physical or
mental development;
children could show
slight deficits in
attention span and
 learning abilities

Adults: Kidney
problems; high blood
pressure

Arsenic 0.00288 0.010 Skin damage or

problems with
circulatory systems,
and may have
increased risk of
getting cancer

Chloroform 0.0026 0.07 N/A

Selenium 0.0022 0.05 Hair or fingernail

loss; numbness in
fingers or toes;
circulatory problems

Cadmium 0.00124 0.005 Kidney damage

Beryllium 0.00049 0.004 Intestinal lesions

*Sampling done across multiple areas and added up; single wells/areas do not contain the mg/L
of contaminants shown, it is a number for the entire county.

(National Primary Drinking Water Regulations)

Table 3: Top Four Contaminants in Ocean County That Are Applicable to Secondary
Drinking Water Standards Based on A Set Number of Wells Sampled Within The County

Contaminant mg/L Found in Sampling mg/L Secondary Maximum

Across County* Contaminant Level

Iron 44.73 0.3

Aluminum 4.38 0.05 to 0.2

Zinc 0.1761 5

Copper 0.0098 1
*Sampling done across multiple areas and added up; single wells/areas do not contain the mg/L
of contaminants shown, it is a number for the entire county.

Table 4: The Percentage of Wells Within Ocean County That Exceeded a Maximum
Contaminant Level (MCL) or Secondary Standard For The Period September 2002 to
March 2014 According to The Private Well Testing Act Summary

Test Ran For Percent of Wells Results

Nitrate 0.6%, (7276 wells sampled) Greater than 0 to 1 percent of

wells exceeded the 10 mg/L
MCL

Iron 26.5%, (7276 wells sampled) Greater than 20 to 30 percent

of wells exceeded the 0.3
mg/L standard

Manganese 15.3%, (7276 wells sampled) Greater than 10 to 20 percent

of wells exceeded the 0.05
mg/L standard

VOC 0.5%, (7274 wells sampled) Greater than 0 to 1 percent of

wells exceeded the MCL for
at least one VOC

Coliform 6.0%, (7276 wells sampled) Greater than 5 to 10 percent

of wells had total coliform
present

Fecal Coliform 0.7%, (7276 wells sampled) Greater than 0 to 1 percent of

wells had fecal coliform or E.
coli present
pH 63.4%, (7264 wells sampled) Greater than 60 to 80 percent
of wells were outside the
optimum rage

Arsenic 0.4%, (226 wells sampled) Greater than 0 to 2 percent of

wells exceeded the 5 ug/L
MCL

Mercury 0.3%, (7276 wells sampled) Greater than 0.2 to 0.5

percent of wells exceeded the
2 ug/L MCL

(NJDEP)
Figure 1: Map of Ocean County Showing Contaminated Sites, With the Addition of CKE
and Groundwater Contaminants

(NJDEP)
Results/Discussion
After looking at and comparing the data shown throughout the figure and tables, it’s clear
that untested private wells could pose a risk for those using/relying on them. Table 4 shows
several contaminants that are found within The National Primary Drinking Water Standards, but
exceed standards in private wells. This includes Arsenic, where levels exceed standard in 0-2%
of wells which can result in skin damage, circulatory system issues, and cancer. This also
includes Mercury, which .2-5% of wells had excessive amounts of, which could result in kidney
damage. Lastly, for contaminants within the National Primary Drinking Water Standards, Nitrate
is shown in excess for 0-1% of wells. This could cause infants below the age of six months to
become seriously ill.
Iron, which is found within secondary standards, is found in 20-30% of wells above
standard. This suggests the water contains sediment, has a metallic taste, and is potentially
staining.
With this in mind, the data comes back to the fact that private well testing is only
mandated circumstantially. Tables 2-4 only contain numbers for wells that have been tested;
there are many that have not been tested in years. Looking at all the potential contaminants, the
number of wells already affected by these contaminants, and the side effects, it’s clear all private
wells should be tested regularly. It’s a potential public safety issue.
While the thought of private wells may infer only single properties are using them,
certain areas contain multiple private wells. The contamination of one well could lead to the
contamination of nearby wells. If a private well is near a public water supply, contaminations
reaching high enough levels could affect the public water supply as well.

Conclusion
Based on the tables above and the potential hazards, the Private Well Testing Act should
mandate testing outside of land ownership changes to avoid public harm. The change doesn’t
have to be drastic; private wells do not need to be tested at the same rate as public drinking
water. However, the notion that certain wells can go decades without a test is dangerous.
While it does cost an upwards of $650 to test wells, the fees could be incorporated in
other ways. For one, extensive public knowledge may encourage residents to test their wells in
general. This knowledge would also allow private well owners to be more aware of the
consequences that could come without testing, which could include getting cancer that would
cause an excess of hospital bills. Beyond that, if the Private Well Testing Act mandated more
frequent testing, it could be incorporated into homeowners insurance. In the same way that
houses within flood zones are required to maintain flood insurance and meet certain standards,
sometimes including a raised house, private well owners could face similar fees. These fees
could be added within insurances.
Another method of mandating a more frequent private well testing is through
comparisons of public water quality tests within the area. Public water isn’t always up to
standard, which generates a need for public awareness. As letters are generated to inform the
public of current potential contaminants in their ground water and cleanup is initiated, private
wells in the area could be required to be tested. For example, if lead levels are high in the public
water supply of an area, nearby wells would need to undergo tests to ensure they’re not also
affected. While it would be costly, considerations of the fact there’s already an expensive issue at
hand to fix could suggest that it wouldn’t be too difficult to also test private wells through the
government. If a region is required by law to fix a public water drinking supply issue, they could
be required to also address the effects this may have in private wells due to the likelihood of
them also being affected.
Overall, the Private Well Testing Act’s standards as of right now could pose a risk and
enhancements need to be made. While private wells don’t need to be held to the exact same
standard as public wells when it comes to testing frequency, mostly due to cost issues, a way to
implement more frequent testing should exist.
Sources

Atherholt, T. B., Louis, J. B., Shevlin, J., Fell, K., & Krietzman, S. (2009, April). The New
Jersey Private Well Testing Act: An Overview. Retrieved from
https://www.nj.gov/dep/dsr/research/pwta-overview.pdf

Department of Environmental Protection Geological and Water Survey. (2014, January 24).
New Jersey's Ambient Ground Water Quality Network Data. Retrieved from
https://www.state.nj.us/dep/njgs/geodata/dgs05-2.htm

National Primary Drinking Water Regulations. (2020, February 14). Retrieved from
https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/national-primary-drinking-water-re
gulations

NJ Department of Environmental Protection. (2004, February). New Jersey Private Well

Testing Act Program. Retrieved from
https://www.nj.gov/dep/watersupply/pwta/pdf/pwta_report.pdf

NJDEP. (2019, December 24). Currently Known Extent of Groundwater Contamination

(CKE) for New Jersey. Retrieved from
https://gisdata-njdep.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/currently-known-extent-of-groundwater
-contamination-cke-for-new-jersey

NJDEP. (2020, February 18). Private Well Testing Act Summary Results by County for New
Jersey. Retrieved from
https://gisdata-njdep.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/private-well-testing-act-summary-result
s-by-county-for-new-jersey

Story Map Series. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=826ec9fae77543caa582a787d5
f088e7