Private Well Water Testing Event – Level 1 set for October 5, 2016, at the Garlands of Barrington.  BACOG partners with the Lake County Health Department Laboratory to make private well water testing fast, convenient and inexpensive for residents.  The BACOG governments want to make sure everyone is drinking clean, safe water.

OPTIONAL LEAD TESTING KITS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THIS EVENT

BACOG’s Level 1 testing is for detecting bacteria and nitrates.  Level 1 does NOT test for lead.

Water Test Kit Sales (Level 1)
September 26-30 (Mon-Fri)
Purchase kits at Village Hall 9am-5pm
Reduced Rate:  $16 per test

Collection of Test Kit Water Samples
Wednesday, October 5th — 3:30 to 7:00 pm (ONE DAY ONLY)
At the Garlands — 1000 Garlands Lane, Barrington
Drop off water samples and stay for the presentation on lead!

PRESENTATION “LEAD IN DRINKING WATER”
October 5th (same day) – 6:00 pm
Speaker:  Walt Kelly, Head of Groundwater Science Section of
Illinois State Water Survey – Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois
Presentation will address:
Maximum thresholds for lead / Community-supplied water versus private well water
Where lead comes from / Health effects of lead / What to do if your water has lead

Why is it important to test private well water?   Most Barrington area residents drink groundwater that is drawn from the shallow aquifer system. The state requires public water supplies to be tested for a wide range of contaminants on a routine basis, but with private wells there is no regulation that requires outside entities to test the water.  That means you are responsible for making sure your home’s water is safe to drink.  Private well owners are advised to do a Level 1 test for bacteria and nitrates every year to detect these invisible, odorless contaminants. In last year’s Level 1 testing, 15% of household water samples contained bacteria.  Water quality can change at any time, so test yearly!

*Who can test their water with BACOG?  This well water testing is a service provided to residents of the BACOG member governments only:  the Villages of Barrington, Barrington Hills, Lake Barrington, North Barrington, South Barrington and Tower Lakes, and the unincorporated areas of Cuba Township and Barrington Township.  The locations of BACOG governments selling test kits is at www.bacog.org.

The presentation on “Lead in Drinking Water” is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC