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printer - friendly story Page 1 of 2 newso sew + ncom Friday , July 25 , 2003 12 : OOAM EDT Testing of wells widened By JOHN ZEBROWSKI , Staff Writer RALEIGH - - In little more than a month , Wake County will require new residential water wells to be tested for a number of dangerous compounds and chemicals . The change , approved Thursday by the Wake County Human Services board , greatly expands what inspectors will be looking for in well water , which still makes up 45 percent of the county ' s drinking water . For the past 30 years , the county tested only for bacteria in wells being installed with new homes . Missed were any chemicals such as arsenic , nitrates or other contaminants that might come from nearby farms or industry . Arsenic found in wells near Swift Creek last year and ongoing problems in the Beechwood Park neighborhood just outside Raleigh highlight the potential for problems . Rick Rowe , director of county environmental services , said that unlike municipal water supplies , which are tested often , people using wells rarely know what is in their water . With the county developing rapidly , he said , the chance for problems grows . " More growth makes this all the more complicated to deal with , " he said . "We need to make sure the public health is protected . Right now , it' s just a best- guess situation . " The new regulations will begin Sept . 1 and the expanded testing will cover only the 800 or so new wells installed in the county each year . The rules are in response to changes to state law aimed at tightening control over wells , which still supply more than half the drinking water in North Carolina . Wake is the first county to adopt the tougher rules , going further than what the state requires , Rowe said . Under current regulations , the county tests wells for anything beyond bacteria only if there is a complaint . Permits are required for new installations , not repairs or alterations to existing wells . Greg Bright , a supervisor with Wake ' s environmental services who helped write the new regulations , said a major aim is to bring all work involving wells under proper supervision , something he said will help make water safer . Permits will now be required for all repairs and changes to wells . Bright said that if a well is improperly repaired or enlarged , it can become contaminated . " There ' s been a lot of weakness and loopholes in the regulations , " he said . " There is an extra level of enforcement that needs to be done . " The new tests won ' t have immediate financial impact on builders . Well permits will stay at $ 350 at least until the beginning of next year , when the county will decide whether to raise the fee . Jim Wahlbrink , executive officer for the Home Builders Association of Raleigh - Wake County , said developers back the changes . It is far more expensive , he said , if a well is found to be contaminated after it' s installed than at the beginning of the process . Bright said the county is worried that arsenic is a growing problem for the water supply , but Wahlbrink said he doesn ' t expect the new tests to find much contamination in wells . " I don 't think water quality is a big , huge problem , " he said . " But if you ' re the one , you ' re going to be upset . This will at least head off potential problems . " haD : //www . news - observer . com/ front/v.print/story/272251 Op - 2524235c . html 7/25 /2003