Pinellas County residents should test private water wells for arsenic

Pinellas County is urging residents who have private drinking water wells to have them tested for arsenic if they live in Dunedin, Tarpon Springs, Clearwater, and Palm Harbor areas.

A homeowner contacted the Pinellas County Health Department concerned that their water well was tainted with arsenic. The well was tested and the test came back positive.

Now,  the health department is branching out and testing other wells in the area.

Environmental specialist Lisa Fraser sampled wells serving four homes in northern Pinellas County.

Although the health department hasn't received any reports of arsenic-related illnesses, it is considered a public health threat, so random testing is now underway.

"It's a very simple test," said Fraser. "We just purge the well for about 10 to 15 minutes and then collect about four ounces of water."

Fraser says arsenic occurs in nature. In the past it was used in pesticides and could still be found in some fertilizers.

If a well is tested positive for the substance, there are two ways to take care of it.

"The Department of Environmental Protection will take steps in remediation by offering the homeowner either a filter that will filter out the arsenic or to hook up to a municipal water source," Fraser said.

If a well owner chooses the filter, the health department will test it periodically to make sure it's working properly.

The samples are sent to a lab in Jacksonville, so it will take a few days for the results to come back.

If you want to have your water tested, contact the Pinellas County Health Department's Environmental Help Line at (727) 538-7277.