Testing Your Water

The mission of the DCGHD is to minimize the threat of surface water and ground water contamination in order to prevent disease transmission and to protect the quality of surface and ground water. This includes ensuring Private Water Systems are safe in our community.

What is a Private Water System?
A Private Water System means any water system, other than a Public Water System regulated by the Ohio EPA, used for the provision of water for human consumption. “Human consumption” means the ingestion or absorption of water or water vapor as the result of drinking, cooking, dish washing, hand washing, bathing, showering, oral hygiene, or other domestic uses such as flushing toilets and doing laundry. A Private Water System may include, a well, a spring, a cistern, a pond, or a hauled water tank. DCGHD Sanitarians perform the following services to ensure Private Water Systems are safe in our community.

• Consultations – The department provides free consultations to residents concerned about their water supply.
• Record Requests – The department maintains records on many existing systems.
• Bacteria and Parameter Testing – The department provides bacterial testing of a new or altered water system and testing for daycare facilities, realty inspections and foster care. 
• Additional Chemical Testing – Our office can collect samples for additional chemical testing on Wednesday afternoons. If you would like to take and submit samples on your own, contact one of the labs below for more information.

Additional testing information on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) and PFAS can be found by visiting the Ohio Department of Health and Ohio EPA websites.

To request water samples from DCGHD, click the testing link below. Explore the testing capabilities by private labs by clicking the additional lab links.