Water testing in Pennsylvania
Draft — pending expert review · Updated
For water testing in Pennsylvania, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) advises well owners to use a state certified laboratory. The labs below are accredited by DEP and accept samples from homeowners.
Certified labs that accept homeowner samples in Pennsylvania
Bath · Drop-off, Mail-in
BacteriaNitrate/nitriteBasic panel price $64 shipping not statedTurnaround not stated
Last verifiedUniversity Park · Mail-in
MetalsNitrate/nitriteBasic panel price $40 shipping not statedResults in 14 business days
Last verifiedWarrendale · Intake not stated
BacteriaBasic panel price No verified price yetTurnaround not stated
Last verifiedTelford · Intake not stated
BacteriaNitrate/nitriteBasic panel price $145 shipping not statedResults in 14 business days
Last verifiedKennett Square · Drop-off
BacteriaNitrate/nitriteBasic panel price No verified price yetTurnaround not stated
Last verifiedOlean · Intake not stated
BacteriaBasic panel price Price on requestTurnaround not stated
Last verifiedCinnaminson · Mail-in
BacteriaMetalsNitrate/nitritePFASRadiologicalBasic panel price Price on requestTurnaround not stated
Last verifiedSomerset · Courier, Mail-in
BacteriaMetalsNitrate/nitriteRadiologicalBasic panel price No verified price yetTurnaround not stated
Last verifiedSayre · Drop-off
BacteriaNitrate/nitriteBasic panel price Price on requestTurnaround not stated
Last verifiedReading · Lab collects on site
BacteriaMetalsNitrate/nitritePFASBasic panel price No verified price yetTurnaround not stated
Last verifiedYpsilanti · Mail-in, Drop-off
BacteriaMetalsNitrate/nitriteRadiologicalBasic panel price $220 shipping not statedResults in 7 business days
Last verifiedErie · Intake not stated
BacteriaNitrate/nitriteBasic panel price Price on requestTurnaround not stated
Last verifiedDunmore · Courier, Drop-off, Lab collects on site
BacteriaNitrate/nitriteBasic panel price Price on requestTurnaround not stated
Last verifiedMyerstown · Drop-off
BacteriaMetalsNitrate/nitriteBasic panel price $36 shipping not statedResults in 2 business days
Last verified
| Lab | Basic panel price | Last verified |
|---|---|---|
| ABE Laboratories LLC | $64 shipping not stated Verified | |
| Agricultural Analytical Services Laboratory | $40 shipping not stated Verified | |
| Allegheny County Health Department | No verified price yet | |
| Analytical Laboratories, Inc | $145 shipping not stated Verified | |
| Brandywine Science Center | No verified price yet | |
| Cattaraugus County Department of Health Laboratory | Price on request | |
| EMSL Analytical Inc | Price on request | |
| Geochemical Testing | No verified price yet | |
| LEAP Testing Service | Price on request | |
| M. J. Reider Associates Inc | No verified price yet | |
| National Testing Laboratories LTD | $220 shipping not stated Verified | |
| Presque Isle Water Testing | Price on request | |
| Princeton Analytical Labs | Price on request | |
| Pure-Test Laboratory | $36 shipping not stated Verified |
Cost of a bacteria test in Pennsylvania
The range of current published prices for a bacteria test, or a panel that includes one, among the labs above.
Based on 13 published prices from 5 labs, verified
Free and low-cost testing programs in Pennsylvania
PA Department of Health and Penn State Extension free well testing
Free
- Run by
- Pennsylvania Department of Health with Penn State Extension
- Who can use it
- Private well owners; free testing is limited.
The Department of Health's Environmental Health program partners with Penn State Extension's Drinking Water Program to offer free water testing for private well owners. To learn about it, contact the Division of Environmental Health Epidemiology at dehe@pa.gov or 717-787-3350.
Verified · Source (opens in a new tab)
Penn State Extension Safe Drinking Water Clinic
Free
- Run by
- Penn State Extension
- Tests for
- Total coliform bacteria, E. coli, pH, Total dissolved solids, Nitrate (as N)
- Who can use it
- Anyone who gets drinking water from a private well, spring or cistern. Free screening is offered to a limited number of households, and preregistration is required.
Register for a free 90-minute workshop. Some workshops offer free screening for bacteria, pH, total dissolved solids and nitrate. The results are a screening for educational purposes and are not from an accredited lab, so use them to decide when to test with a state-accredited laboratory.
Verified · Source (opens in a new tab)
Penn State AASL drinking water test kit — Total Coliform & E. coli
$40
- Run by
- Penn State Agricultural Analytical Services Laboratory
- Tests for
- Total coliform bacteria, E. coli
- Who can use it
- No eligibility requirements are listed. Kits are available at many county extension offices.
Get a Drinking Water Test Kit from a county extension office, collect the sample, and send it to the lab by overnight mail with payment. The bacteria test (total coliform and E. coli) costs $40.00. The lab must receive bacteria samples within 30 hours of sampling and does not accept them on Fridays.
Verified · Source (opens in a new tab)
Allegheny County Health Department well water test kits
Price not listed
- Run by
- Allegheny County Health Department
- County
- Allegheny County
- Tests for
- Total coliform bacteria
- Who can use it
- Allegheny County residents with private wells.
The Water Pollution Control division offers well water test kits that detect coliform bacteria. The price is not listed on the page, so contact the division.
Verified · Source (opens in a new tab)
DEP regional office bacterial test kits
Price not listed
- Run by
- Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
- Who can use it
- Private well owners; kits are sold through DEP regional offices.
Buy a bacterial test kit from your DEP regional office. The DEP page lists a contact and phone number for each regional office and the counties it serves. The price is not published, so ask the office.
Verified · Source (opens in a new tab)
How certification works in Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, labs are accredited rather than certified, by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). DEP says all environmental laboratories[1] that test drinking water must be accredited by DEP. Its Laboratory Accreditation Program runs two tracks: a lab can be accredited under the Pennsylvania state program or under the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP). Both cover drinking water.
DEP publishes a search of accredited labs, linked from its program page. The table on this page shows each lab's Pennsylvania accreditation as that registry gives it. "Bacteria" means the lab is accredited for both total coliform and E. coli in drinking water.
EPA links to every state's certification program and certified-lab list. It also says it is unable to test residential or commercial drinking water upon request[2], so a home test goes to an accredited lab or a local program.
Private wells in Pennsylvania
The US Geological Survey estimates that in 2015, 3.47 million Pennsylvania residents (27% of the population)[3] had self-supplied household water, mostly from private wells. The Pennsylvania Department of Health, citing 2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance survey data, puts it another way: an estimated 26% of Pennsylvania's adults[4] rely on private well water as their main drinking water source.
DEP advises well owners to test every year[5] for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH, and to always use a state certified laboratory that conducts drinking water tests.
To compare what a test costs, see well water testing cost. Public programs that test for free are on free water testing, and every lab we list, in every state we cover, is on certified water testing labs.
Questions about water testing in Pennsylvania
How often should I test my well in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania DEP advises testing well water every year[5] for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH, and testing for other contaminants too if you suspect them.
Does Pennsylvania offer free well water testing?
The Department of Health's Environmental Health program partners with Penn State Extension[4] to offer free water testing for private well owners, and Penn State Extension's drinking water clinics offer free screening to a limited number of households. Clinic results are not official[6]: they help you decide how soon to test with a state-accredited lab. Both programs are in the list on this page.
Where can I get a bacteria test kit in Pennsylvania?
DEP's private well testing page says bacterial test kits can be bought from DEP offices[5] and lists the regional offices. DEP does not publish the price, so ask the office. You can also order a test directly from one of the accredited labs in the table on this page.
How do I check that a Pennsylvania lab is accredited?
DEP's Laboratory Accreditation Program accredits labs under a state program or NELAP[1], and its program page links to a search of accredited environmental labs. The Registry column of the table on this page links to DEP's registry for each lab.
Do I have to use an accredited lab for a home test?
DEP's advice to well owners is to always use a state certified laboratory[5] that conducts drinking water tests. Every lab in the table on this page is accredited by DEP.
Neighboring states
- Delaware
- Maryland
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- West Virginia
Private well water data for Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania well water data on TapWaterData (opens in a new tab)
Source: TapWaterData (EPA SDWIS / USGS models)
Sources (6)
- Laboratory Accreditation Program (opens in a new tab)Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection · Retrieved
- Contact Information for Certification Programs and Certified Laboratories for Drinking Water (opens in a new tab)US Environmental Protection Agency · Retrieved
- Estimated use of water in the United States in 2015 (Circular 1441), Table 6 (opens in a new tab)US Geological Survey · Retrieved
- Private Well Water (opens in a new tab)Pennsylvania Department of Health · Retrieved
- Water Testing (private wells) (opens in a new tab)Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection · Retrieved
- Safe Drinking Water Clinic (opens in a new tab)Penn State Extension · Retrieved