Penn State Ag testing for lead and more

(State College) — Water supplies in nine Pennsylvania Counties will undergo testing for lead and other impurities. 

The testing is slated to begin in July and will be conducted by Penn State’s Agricultural Extension Service.  

Penn State Water Specialist Brian Swistock says most of the areas being tested are not served by municipal water systems.

“These are all going to be well water samples.  We are only testing water for people who have what we call private water supply, which would be a well or spring that serves an individual home or a couple of homes,” he said.

More than 3 million Pennsylvanians depend on private water systems.

Swistock said the lead crisis in Flint, Michigan is among the reasons for this project.

“We certainly added a lot more lead testing in, including both first-flush lead and running water lead analysis, into this project because of the great interest in lead.  It’s one of the more serious health concerns we have in drinking water.  There are no  obvious symptoms in the waters, so testing is really critical,” he said.

Wells to be tested are located in Elk, Erie, Forest, Fayette, Greene, Jefferson, Montour, Northampton and Venango Counties.