We have city sewage but not city water where I live. We rely solely on well water for all our drinking, cooking and washing water. I have a filter on the kitchen tap that I use for most drinking and cooking but the other two bathrooms do not have a filter. So periodically I have to test the water to make sure it is safe to use. I bought a well water testing kit from an online scientific supply site for about $25.00 plus S&H. The kit was very simple to use and tested for everything that needs to be tested for except arsenic. If I can remember correctly the kit tested for the following:

• iron, copper, lead
• bacteria, pesticides
• nitrates, nitrites
• chlorine, ph, hardness

Our water passed with flying colors, which is very reassuring. The only problem we ever have with our water is hardness, which is taken care of by our water softening system. If you forget to regularly add salt pellets to the system the water will turn the color of tea and leave rust rings in the tubs and sinks. It also does not taste very good when it gets hard. I have learned that it is very important to test your water regularly. That fact was brought home to me recently by an article in the local paper about several wells near a golf course in Chesapeake (where I live) that had high levels of arsenic and lead. So I have resolved to test our water yearly just to be safe.