Private Well Testing
Act (PWTA)
The Act
The PWTA was enacted on March 23, 2001. Effective September
16, 2002, the Department adopted the Private Well Testing
Act Rules, N.J.A.C. 7:9E, and amended the Regulations Governing
the Certification of Laboratories and Environmental Measurements,
N.J.A.C. 7:18, to implement the requirements of the PWTA.
Under the PWTA, certain
wells must be tested as a condition of each contract for
sale of real property. As of March 15, 2004, testing requirements
for landlords who rent a property with drinking water supplied
by a private well became effective under the statute.
Sampling
PWTA samples are to be collected by an employee or authorized
representative of a laboratory certified for sampling. The
use of authorized representatives by a certified laboratory
for sample collection is permitted under N.J.A.C. 7:18, as
long as the establishment collecting a sample is considered
an authorized representative of the laboratory certified for
sampling. Therefore, the establishment collecting the sample
does not need to be contained on the list of laboratories
certified for sampling. For your convenience a list of laboratories
that are certified to collect samples for the PWTA can be
accessed in real-time from DEP's
Data Miner website.
Testing
Under the requirements of N.J.A.C. 7:18, certified laboratories
are required to follow Department approved protocols for the
analysis of PWTA samples. Analysis for all parameters, including
pH, must be conducted by an employee of a laboratory certified
for that parameter. Since many laboratories are not certified
to sample and test all PWTA parameters, they must subcontract
some test work to other laboratories. Although several laboratories
may be involved in testing your well water, you need only
contact one. If necessary, they will enlist the services of
other laboratories that are certified to collect and/or perform
the tests they cannot conduct. Certified laboratories are
not located in every county. You may choose any certified
lab regardless of location, either in New Jersey or outside
the state. The list of laboratories certified to conduct testing
required by the PWTA can be accessed in real-time from DEP's
Data Miner website.
Gross Alpha Testing
In some instances the PWTA requires the testing of a well
sample using the 48-hour Rapid Gross Alpha test. Laboratories
eligible to conduct this testing are listed as certified for
this specific test. This current list of laboratories can
be accessed in real-time from DEP's
Data Miner website.
Reporting
When all of the tests have been completed, your selected laboratory
will compile the overall results and send them to you on the
New Jersey Private Well Water Test Reporting Form (an electronic
version of this form is also sent to the NJDEP). Whenever
a well test exceeds the drinking water standards, a notice
is sent by the NJDEP to the county CEHA health department.
Additional Information
For further information on the Private Well Testing Act rules,
please contact the Department's Toll-Free Information Hotline:
1-866-4PW-TEST or 1-866-479-8378, or the Departments PWTA
website.
If you have any questions about the certification status
of any laboratory on these lists, please call the Office of
Quality Assurance at (609) 292-3950 |
