Child Care Well Analysis
The Southern Nevada Health District Regulations Governing the Sanitation and Safety of Child Care FacilitiesPDF 656KB specifies certain requirements be met for Family or Group Care Homes that have private wells as the source of their water.
Below is an excerpt of the section of the regulations that specifies the minimum requirements for ensuring that potable water is provided to the children in care.
All child care facilities whose water source is private must adhere to the attached water quality testing schedule.
6.12 Water supply
6.12.1 The potable water supply for each child care facility must be from either a public water system permitted by the State of Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Safe Drinking Water or a private source meeting the requirements of Section 6.12.2.
6.12.2 This Section 6.12.2 applies only to child care facilities whose water source is private and does not meet the definition of a public water system as defined by NRS 445A.235:
6.12.2.1 Prior to commencement of operation, any child care facility meeting the criteria of Section 6.12.2 shall sample the potable water supply proposed for use by the facility for a bacteriological and chemical analysis as required by the Health Authority. The chemicals to be included in the chemical analysis will be specified by the Health Authority. The Health Authority will update the list of chemicals on an annual basis. The results of these analyses shall be in compliance with the appropriate standards, as set forth under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA),
6.12.2.2 Annually thereafter, any child care facility meeting Section 6.12.2 shall complete both a bacteriological and a nitrate analysis. Unsatisfactory results will require repeat analyses in accordance with the SDWA,
6.12.2.3 Every three (3) years thereafter, any child care facility meeting Section 6.12.2 shall complete a chemical analysis as indicated in Section 6.12.2.1. More frequent testing shall be specified by the Health Authority if any results from the chemical analyses are higher than standards set under the SDWA,
6.12.2.4 All water testing shall be performed by a laboratory certified by the State of Nevada,
6.12.2.5 Copies of the results of any water analyses shall be submitted to Health Authority within seven (7) days from the receipt of the results,
6.12.2.6 Whenever the water analysis is positive for Escherichia coli (E. coli) or coliforms or a chemical analysis result is higher than the standards set under the SDWA, the child care facility shall use bottled drinking water for all cooking and drinking needs until necessary corrective actions are made and the water is retested and found to be in compliance.
Required Annual Testing:
| National Primary Drinking Water Contaminant(s) | Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) or Action Level1 | Potential Health Effect(s)1 |
| Total Coliforms (includes fecal coliforms and E. coli) | Zero Note: Labs will report zero total coliforms as “Absent” |
Not a health threat in itself; it is used to indicate whether other potentially harmful bacteria may be present. |
| Nitrate | 10.0 mg/L | Infants below the age of six months who drink water containing nitrate in excess of the MCL could become seriously ill and, if untreated, may die. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blue-baby syndrome. |
Testing Required Every Three Years:
| National Primary Drinking Water Contaminant(s) | Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) or Action Level1 | Potential Health Effect(s)1 |
| Arsenic | 0.010 mg/L | Skin damage or problems with circulatory systems, and may have increased risk of getting cancer. |
| Copper | 1.3 mg/L Action level is 1.3 mg/L | Short term exposure: Gastrointestinal distress Long term exposure: Liver or kidney damage People with Wilson’s Disease should consult their personal doctor if the amount of copper in their water exceeds the action level. |
| Fluoride | 4.0 mg/L | Bone disease (pain and tenderness of the bones); Children may get mottled teeth. |
| Lead | Zero Action level is 0.015 mg/L | Infants and children: Delays in physical or mental development; children could show slight deficits in attention span and learning abilities. Adults: Kidney problems; high blood pressure. |
| Nitrite | 1.0 mg/L | Same as for nitrate |
| National Secondary Drinking Water Contaminant(s) | Secondary MCL2 | Noticeable Effects When the Secondary MCL is Exceeded2 |
| Chloride | 400.0 mg/L | Salty taste |
| Iron | 0.6 mg/L | Rusty color, sediment, metallic taste, reddish or orange staining |
| Magnesium | 150.0 mg/L | Contributes to water hardness |
| Manganese | 0.1 mg/L | Black to brown color, black staining, bitter metallic taste |
| pH | 6.5 – 8.5 | Low pH: bitter metallic taste, corrosion High pH: slippery feel, soda taste, deposits |
| Sulfate | 500.0 mg/L | Salty taste |
| Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) (A measure of the total amount of all dissolved minerals, salts, cations, and/or anions.) | 1,000.0 mg/L | Hardness, deposits, colored water, staining, salty taste |
| Zinc | 5.0 mg/L | Metallic taste |
1National Primary Drinking Water Regulation – Maximum contaminant levels and health effects information taken from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) website at: http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/index.cfm#List
2Secondary Drinking Water Regulation – Maximum contaminant levels for all contaminants except pH and zinc have been modified from the EPA standards to meet the State of Nevada regulations as specified by NAC 445A.455 (http://www.leg.state.nv.us/nac/NAC-445A.html). The Noticeable Effects language has been excerpted from the EPA’s website at: http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/secondarystandards.cfm
Additional tests may be required by the health district based on potential hazards located near the well in question. Examples of potential hazards include: gas stations, feedlots and agricultural fields.
As of December 2010, the following laboratories in Clark County are certified by the State of Nevada to conduct drinking water testing:
- Effex Analytical (702) 367-1187
- Sierra Environmental (702) 617-7867
- Silver State Analytical (702) 873-4478
- Western Environmental Testing Labs (702) 475-8899
Contact Information
Updated on: March 5, 2019