The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) will be providing free private well testing for the first 300 people who come to its private well education booth at the Hartford Home Show.

The Home Show is being held at the XL Center, 1 Civic Center Plaza in Hartford on:

Friday, January 23rd, 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, January 24th, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, January 25th, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The free test kits will allow homeowners to collect a sample from their private well, which will be analyzed for two naturally occurring metals: arsenic and uranium. The samples will be analyzed by the DPH Laboratory.

In 2013, DPH announced that well testing in various towns around Connecticut indicated the presence of arsenic and uranium. While the distribution of contaminated wells was sporadic, there were enough findings statewide to prompt DPH to recommend testing for both metals in all Connecticut towns.

“Arsenic and uranium are found in groundwater around Connecticut due to their presence in bedrock,” said DPH Epidemiologist Brian Toal. “These metals have no taste or odor so the only way to know if either toxic metal is present is to have your well water tested.”

DPH experts will be present at the booth to answer questions about testing for other contaminants and provide information about water treatment methods to remove these contaminants. Please visit us at booth #211 to have your questions answered or to get your bottle for free well water testing.

For those unable to obtain a free test kit at the fairs, a number of private laboratories can be contacted for testing. Please see links below for more information or call (860) 509-7740.

Arsenic in Private Drinking Water Wells

What You Need to Know About Uranium in Private Well Water

List of certified environmental laboratories that conduct arsenic and uranium testing