Home Buyers & Sellers

The Private Well Testing Act (PWTA)

The Private Well Testing Act is a New Jersey state law which requires specific water tests prior to closing on the sale of real estate where the potable water supply is a private well. (Certain public well properties are also affected.)

The tests are necessary
The intent of this law is two-fold:

• To insure water quality awareness for both buyer and seller of property supplied by a private well
• To supply water quality data for a state wide public awareness program

Required Tests
The PWTA mandates analysis for:

• Total Coliform
• Nitrates
• Manganese
• pH
• Iron
• Lead
• All Volatile Organic Compounds for which maximum contaminant levels have been established (VOC's with MCL's).

The NJ DEP rule has added Mercury and Arsenic for certain counties, and a short term 24-hour Gross Alpha test to screen for the presence of radium will be required for certain counties according to a 6-18 month phase-in period.
Click here for a chart of testing requirements by county in PDF format.

Facilities permitted to perform PWTA testing.

The New Jersey DEP rule requires that all analysis be performed by a New Jersey certified laboratory. QC Laboratories and its partners are certified for all of the tests required by the PWTA and can answer any questions you have about the PWTA or other drinking water tests required by your county.

Payment for and cost of testing.

The PWTA does not specify who must pay for the analysis, leaving it to negotiation between buyer and seller. QC Laboratories includes sample collection by a trained laboratory employee, scientific analysis and results reporting for a single fee.

Collection of water samples.

The NJ DEP is specific in its ruling that on site analysis for pH must be performed by "an employee of a certified environmental laboratory... which is certified to analyze for pH." While the DEP permits sample collection by a laboratory's authorized representative (which could be a home inspector or someone else who is lab-trained for sample collection), the pH analysis must be performed at the sampling site by a lab employee. This is an important distinction because the DEP recognizes that a laboratory quality pH analysis requires properly calibrated and maintained equipment and fully trained personnel. An incorrect pH analysis can cause expensive, unnecessary installation of water treatment equipment and repeat sampling and analysis. All our field service people are full time, fully trained employees of QC Laboratories. Look for the QC Labs logo on our vehicles and paperwork when your water samples are collected for PWTA analysis.

Turnaround time.

This is an important question since the PWTA forbids closing on the real estate transaction without the water test results. "Turnaround time" for the analysis varies from one lab to the next with some labs charging a premium for "Rush" work. Another important factor is how quickly the lab can schedule sample collection at the property. QC Laboratories provides a standard 5-7 day turnaround time for all PWTA analysis at no extra cost and our fleet of 50 field service people makes it possible for us to collect the samples faster than most labs. You have plenty of other issues to handle to meet your closing date. Trust QC Labs to manage your PWTA testing with no hassles. We can send results by email or fax, and we'll even send copies at no extra charge to your agent/broker, buyer or seller if you desire. Click here for our sample PWTA lab report.

Water softener and other treatment systems

PWTA samples must be collected prior to any water treatment device. There is no PWTA requirement for testing after water treatment. However, local health agencies or mortgage companies may require additional testing of the treated water sample. The PWTA does not preempt any existing water testing requirements or any authority of local health agencies. Our client services staff will help you determine whether any testing will be required in addition to the PWTA requirements.

Test Failure

While the PWTA contains no requirement for additional testing upon a failed test, the NJ DEP rule requires the lab to report failed tests to the client, local health agencies and the NJ DEP. Local health agencies or the mortgage company may require additional testing or some form of water treatment system, but the PWTA requires neither.

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