Water Quality

What We Do

Our water quality program provides bacterial testing for drinking water and irrigation water samples.

We offer water testing in our Regional Lab Monday through Thursday. The lab is certified through the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment as in compliance with the criteria and procedures of the EPA Manual for the Certification of Laboratories analyzing drinking water. View our certificate here if you need it for auditing purposes.

We also inspect public and semi-public pools and spas in Mesa County on an annual basis.

Submit a complaint

Water Tests

Coliform – Present/Absent with E. coli ($20)
E. coli – Enumerated ($22)
Heterotrophic Plate Count ($24)

Payment is due at time of service. We accept cash, check, or credit card.

Click here for lab and testing forms.

Information For Realtors

Buying or selling a home can be a lengthy and confusing process. For homes with a private well, many lending institutions require the well to pass a water quality test before the loan will be approved. Sometimes, these requirements are not known until the last minute and testing can cause a delay for the seller or the buyer. Having the well water tested reassures the buyer, and the value of the home is increased when there is safe drinking water available.

The Regional Lab offers affordable testing with results available the following day via email to all involved parties, per request.

Request a Water Test Kit

The Regional Lab offers affordable testing with results available the following day via email to all involved parties, per request.

Pools and Spas

Swimming pools, water parks, hot tubs, lakes, rivers, and the ocean can carry bacteria and make you sick. Do you have a Recreational Water Illness? Seek medical care if symptoms become unmanageable.

We inspect all the public pools and spas in Mesa County. File a complaint by clicking the Contact Us link in the footer below.

Click here for archived pool inspection requests.

Private Pool/Spa Use Considerations:

Pool regulations and codes make sure that treated recreational water facilities (e.g. pools, hot tubs, and water parks) provide a clean, healthy, and safe environment for the public.

These regulations set minimum standards (such as the amount of chlorine that should be in the pool) to decrease the public’s risk of illness and injury.
To ensure that regulations are followed, Mesa County Public Health (MCPH) regularly inspects treated recreational water venues.

Private pool owners do not fall under recreational water regulations and are not subject to the requirements and inspections that public aquatic facilities fall under.
- Please be aware of the differences in safety regulations between private and public swimming facilities when using private pools and when considering a private pool.

How private pool/spa owners can make sure their facilities are safe:

Disinfection (with chlorine or bromine) and pH are the first defense against germs that cause recreational water illnesses.
At the recommended levels, chlorine or bromine can kill most germs in the water within minutes.
As a backyard pool owner, you should check the disinfectant (chlorine or bromine) level and pH at least twice per day (and more often when the pool is in heavy use) to make sure they are correct:

1–10 parts per million (ppm) free chlorine or 3–8 ppm bromine
pH 7.2–7.8

If the pH is too high or too low, it can cause problems, including decreasing chlorine’s or bromine’s ability to kill germs. It can also cause skin and eye irritation in swimmers and damage pool pipes and other equipment.
Click here for information on how to ensure your backyard pool/spa is safe.

Private Wells and Cisterns

MCPH recommends private wells be tested seasonally for bacteriological contaminants. The Coliform test will show whether or not your well or cistern water contains bacteria.

If polluted ground water is consumed, it could cause illness. Ground water pollution can be caused by seepage through landfills, failed septic tanks, underground fuel tanks, fertilizers and pesticides, as well as runoff from urban areas. Testing your water ensures the health of you and your family.
We inspect all the public pools and spas in Mesa County. File a complaint by clicking the Contact Us link in the footer below.

Click here for archived pool inspection requests.

Lab Hours

Monday – Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Please note, the lab is closed on all federal holidays and does not accept water samples the business day before a holiday (or the Thursday before a holiday that falls on a Friday).

The Regional Lab will be not be accepting samples on the following days due to the upcoming holidays: Wednesday (11/10), Thursday (11/11), Wednesday (11/24), Thursday (11/25), Thursday (12/23), and Thursday (12/30). Please plan to get your water samples to us before those days if you have any water testing needs.

Samples can also be shipped overnight to:

MCPH Regional Lab
P.O. Box 20,000
Grand Junction, CO 81502-5033

For FedEX and UPS:

MCPH Regional Lab
510 29 1/2 Road
Grand Junction, CO 81504