Most of the Barrington area residents drink water that is drawn from the shallow aquifers and bedrock that lie within the first several hundred feet below ground surface.
The
state requires public water supplies to be tested for a wide range of contaminants on a routine basis, but with private wells that serve just one or two households, there is no regulation requirement for routine testing on existing wells– that means you are responsible for making sure your water is safe to drink!
Households with private wells are advised to test for bacteria and nitrates on an annual basis to detect these invisible, odorless contaminants. These contaminants can result from animal or human waste or fertilizer components reaching the well water and can cause illness in humans. The test is fast, easy and inexpensive, and the Barrington Area Council of Governments (BACOG) is working with Lake County Health Department to make it even easier.