MOUNTAINAIR, N.M. (KRQE) – New Mexico’s Environment Department is hosting a free water well testing event at the upcoming Mountainair Sunflower Festival. The first 100 participants can get free water tests.
The event will be held Saturday, August 26, at the Mountainair Sunflower Festival (101 East Broadway, Mountainair, New Mexico, 87036). Free testing will be available from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. while supplies last.
“Safe drinking water is a fundamental public health issue,” Ground Water Quality Bureau Chief Justin Ball said in a press release. “This water fair provides residents in Mountainair easy and affordable access to information about the quality of their private well water that they would otherwise need to pay for.”
To get a test, visitors can bring a water sample. Those who would like testing should:
- Let the water run for 2-3 minutes before collecting the sample.
- Fill a clean glass or plastic container without any odors with at least a quart or liter of your well water.
- If the home has a whole house filtration system, collect the water at the wellhead prior to any filtration or softener systems if possible.
- Fill the container with water as close to the time of testing as possible.
- Bring basic info about the well the water came from, such as the depth, location, well material, and distance to the nearest septic tank.
The free tests are for residential wells only. After the water is tested, the Environment Department will mail the results to the individual’s house.
