Each year, thousands of homeowners get their water tested through accredited testing labs. The resulting laboratory reports often include complex language, symbols, and information, making it difficult to determine if drinking water meets established safety standards.

The Penn State Extension and the Master Well Owner Network worked with the Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment to create an online Drinking Water Interpretation Tool (DWIT) web tool that can help homeowners make sense of laboratory water test results after their well, spring, or cistern is tested.

This tool was first developed at Colorado State University and was adapted to make it more relevant to Pennsylvania's drinking water issues.

The tool has recently been updated to include more parameters, including PFAS, Synthetic Organic Chemicals, and Volatile Organic Chemicals with health-related standards.

Users can enter results from any commercial water test report, and the Web tool will "decode" the results.

The site addresses bacterial and chemical contaminants along with aesthetic issues such as turbidity, color units and odor, and corrosivity levels, providing a full interpretation of water quality.

The "results" page breaks down the laboratory test figures into a table of information addressing each value entered into the interpretation tool with links to additional information for any water test results that do not meet drinking water standards.

This section details each parameter, outlining the nature of the pollutant (bacteria, liquid, or industrial solvents, to name a few), its origins, how it enters a private water supply, and the associated threats posed when levels exceed acceptable standards.

The section also provides information on how to remove or treat contaminants.

In addition to the Drinking Water Interpretation Tool, Penn State Extension has numerous other educational resources for private water system owners, including an article on Common Drinking Water Problems and Solutions.

Extension offers numerous fact sheets, videos, and other resources on water testing, choosing a well location, safeguarding your well from contaminants, and properly solving drinking water problems.

Click Here for this Penn State Extension announcement.

Visit the Penn State Extension website to learn more about many other educational opportunities.

Action Item

-- Private Well Owners Needed For Dept. Of Health Focus Group

Related Extension Articles:

-- PA Master Well Owner Network, Penn State Extension Updates Online Drinking Water Results Interpretation Tool [PaEN]

-- Registration Open! Pennsylvania Groundwater Symposium May 6-7 In Harrisburg [PaEN]

-- Master Watershed Stewards Take Part In Winter Salt Stream Snapshot [PaEN]

-- Rain Barrel Kits Now Available At Select Master Watershed Steward Program Offices [PaEN]

-- Preserving The Farming Legacy With Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program

-- Strategies For Preventing Algae, Aquatic Plant Problems In Farm Ponds

-- Showcase Your Skills At Water Resources Educator Dive Deeper Summit Sept. 25

-- February Celebrates World Wetlands Day

(Reprinted from the latest Watershed Winds newsletter from Penn State Extension.  Click Here to sign up for your own copy (bottom of the page.)

Upcoming Extension Events

March 3-- Penn State Extension Ag Water Series Webinar: Practices To Mitigate Flooding & Drought.  Noon to 1:00 p.m.

March 4-- Penn State Extension Webinar On Residential Stormwater Solutions - Rainwater Catchment Systems. Noon to 1:00 p.m.

March 5-- Penn State Extension Woods In Your Backyard Series (Part 8 of 9)  - Converting Lawns to Natural Areas (Meadows and Woods). 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

March 6-- Penn State Extension Hosts Lawn To Meadow Conversions Webinar. Noon to 1:00 p.m.

March 10-- Penn State Extension Ag Water Series Webinar: Tile Drainage In Pennsylvania. Noon to 1:00 p.m.

March 11-- Penn State Extension (7 of 10) Pennsylvania Forests Webinar Seminar Series - Hazard Tree Analysis.  Noon and 7:00 p.m.

March 11-- Penn State Extension Webinar On Lawn Care For Clean Water.  Noon to 1:00 p.m.

March 12-- Penn State Extension Woods In Your Backyard Series (Part 9 of 9)  - Putting Your Knowledge To Work - What’s Your Plan?  Map it Out. 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

March 13-- DCNR, Penn State Extension Forest Health, Insect, Disease Update Webinar, 8:30 to 11:00 a.m.

March 17-- Penn State Extension Ag Water Series Webinar: Where Does Water Go?  Watersheds & Mapping. Noon to 1:00 p.m.

March 19-- Penn State Extension Hosts Webinar On Green Infrastructure's Many Functions.  Noon to 1:00 p.m. 

March 19-- Penn State Extension Pond Management Series (1 of 4). Noon to 1:00 p.m.

March 24-- Penn State Extension Ag Water Series Webinar: Countywide Clean Water Plans - Beyond 2025. Noon to 1:00 p.m.

March 26-- Penn State Extension Pond Management Series (2 of 4). Noon to 1:00 p.m.

March 29-- Penn State Extension In-Person Rain Barrel Discovery Workshop, Lebanon County 11:00 to Noon

April 1-3-- Penn State ACAP Ag Conservation Con 2025 - Harrisburg

April 2-- Penn State Extension Pond Management Series (3 of 4). Noon to 1:00 p.m.

April 8--  Penn State Extension (8 of 10) Pennsylvania Forests Webinar Seminar Series - Forest Resilience Scorecard for PA.  Noon and 7:00 p.m.

April 9-- Penn State Extension Pond Management Series (4 of 4). Noon to 1:00 p.m.

April 21-- Penn State Extension In-Person Private Water Supply Education, Water Testing Workshop, Carlisle, Cumberland County, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

April 28, April 29-- Penn State Extension, PA Sea Grant In-Person Educator Workshops On Watershed Literacy & Tree Plantings In Lancaster County

May 6-7-- Pennsylvania Groundwater Symposium, Harrisburg

May 13-- Penn State Extension (9 of 10) Pennsylvania Forests Webinar Seminar Series - Tree Nuts in Pennsylvania.  Noon and 7:00 p.m.

May 13-15-- Save the Date: DCNR Watershed Forestry Summit

June 10-- Penn State Extension (10 of 10) Pennsylvania Forests Webinar Seminar Series - The Use of Slash Walls to Exclude Deer and Regenerate Native Forest Tree Species.  Noon and 7:00 p.m.

September 25-- Penn State Extension Dive Deeper Summit For Water Educators. Harrisburg.

[Posted: February 24, 2025]

3/3/2025