Private testing is only way to see if well water is safe to drink

In the San Lorenzo Valley there are many homes that rely on their water from wells on their property.  But is there any government agency that regularly inspects private wells? 
According to Santa Cruz County Water Quality Resources Program Manager, John Ricker, the answer is “No.” The only responsibility the county has is initial oversight; testing initially when the building permit is drawn.  They do not do annual testing. That is the homeowner’s responsibility.
Neither the county nor San Lorenzo Valley Water District know how many private wells there are in the county. However, if you are a home owner with a well on your property, there is a free testing service available from Boulder Creek Water Company, 12788 Highway 9, Suite #3, Boulder Creek,.
You can bring in 2-4 ounces of your well water in a clean glass jar and they can test its pH value in-house. The pH value is neutral at 7, less than 7 is more acid and higher than 7 is more alkaline. Research scientists say that the first line of defense against disease is a proper pH balance and that disease grows in an acidic body.
Justin Schiltz, President of Boulder Creek Water Company, said, “If the homeowner wants more intensive testing, we can send the sample to a laboratory in Watsonville which can test for all minerals and organic compounds.  This testing, of course, is not free.”
The U.S. Geological Survey reported in 2009 on private well water from 30 of the nation’s 62 principal aquifers across the U.S.  They found that “One of every five private wells contained one or more contaminants exceeding the EPA human health benchmarks; approximately half of all wells had at least one problem and a third of all wells had microbial contamination.”
Boulder Creek Water Company, which opened in May 2016, sells self-serve and delivery of purified re-mineralized reverse osmosis (RO) and alkaline water by the process of Cerra Water filtration/water ionization.  They also have a 24-hour vending machine for purchasing their water.
Schiltz says there are no solid answers about how the drought has affected wells. His advice for the many well owners in the San LorenzoValley is to have well water tested annually.  Boulder Creek Water Company is in the process of setting up a well inspection service to the community.