Penn States Institutes of Energy and the Environment: Water Resources: Drinking Water Interpretation Tool

This website provides interpretation of water test results you have received from a water testing laboratory. Simply enter your results into the boxes below and click “Submit” at the bottom of the page to get an interpretation of your results. If you are visiting this site and have not had your water tested, you should arrange to have your water tested through a state certified water testing laboratory. A list of certified labs is available from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection at http://www.dep.pa.gov/Business/OtherPrograms/Labs/Pages/Laboratory-Accreditation-Program.aspx. For a list of recommended water tests and testing strategies, consult our water testing fact sheet. For more information on each of the contaminants listed here, consult the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Safe Drinking Water web site.

Enter numerical values - ONLY ENTER NUMBERS - DO NOT ENTER LETTERS .
- If you do not have a value for a particular parameter, leave the space blank.
- If you have a result larger than 999 do not enter commas.
- If your water test results contain either ND (not detected) or BD (below detection) enter a zero in the form for that chemical parameter.
- If your microbial test results are reported as either P (present) or A (absent), enter a zero for A and 10 for P. If you received only presence/absence bacteria results, you might want to consider asking the water testing laboratory to provide you with numerical results in the future. Numerical results provide important clues to the severity and possible causes of bacterial contamination.
NOTE: Results reported in ppm units are equal to mg/L units; Standards in mg/L can be converted to µg/L units by multiplying by 1,000.

Enter Microbial Results (All are Primary Standards) Total Coliform Bacteria (bacteria per 100 ml)
Fecal Coliform Bacteria (bacteria per 100 ml)
E.Coli (bacteria per 100 ml)
Giardia lamblia (oocysts)
Cryptosporidium parvum (oocysts)

Enter Inorganic Chemicals with Health Standards Arsenic (mg/L)
Barium (mg/L)
Cadmium (mg/L)
Chromium (mg/L)
Copper (mg/L)
Cyanide (mg/L)
Fluoride (mg/L)
Lead (mg/L)
Mercury (mg/L)
Nitrate (NO3-N) (mg/L)
Selenium (mg/L)
Thallium (mg/L)
Turbidity (Total Suspended Sediment) (NTU)

Enter Inorganic Chemicals with Aesthetic Standards Acidity (mg/L)
Alkalinity (mg/L)
Aluminum (mg/L)
Chloride (mg/L)
Color (color units)
Corrosivity
Surfactants, Methylene Blue Active Substances (MBAS) (mg/L)
Hardness (mg/L)
Iron (mg/L)
Manganese (mg/L)
Odor (T.O.N.)
pH (pH units)
Silver (mg/L)
Sulfate (mg/L)
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) (mg/L)
Zinc (mg/L)

Enter Volatile Organic Chemicals (All are Health-related Standards) Benzene (mg/L)
Carbon Tetrachloride (mg/L)
MTBE (Methyl Tert-Butyl Ether) (mg/L)
Styrene (mg/L)
Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) (mg/L)
Toulene (mg/L)
Trichloroethane (TCE) (mg/L)
Total Trihalomethanes (mg/L)
Vinyl Chloride (mg/L)
Xylenes (total) (mg/L)

Enter Synthetic Organic Chemicals (All are Health-related Standards) 2,4-D (2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid)(mg/L)
Atrazine (mg/L)
Carbofuran (mg/L)
Chlorodane (mg/L)
DBCP (Dibromochloropropane) (mg/L)
Dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD) (µ/L)
Diquat (mg/L)
Endothall (mg/L)
Endrin (mg/L)
Ethylene Dibromide (EDB) (mg/L)
Glyphosate (mg/L)
Lindane (mg/L)
Methoxychlor (mg/L)
PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls)(mg/L)
Silvex (2,4,5-TP)(mg/L)
Simazine (mg/L)

Enter Radionuclides (All are Health-Related Standards) Radium 226 + 228 (pCi/L)
Radon (proposed) (pCi/L)
Uranium (µg/L)

When you have entered all of the values from your water test, use the submit button to run the analysis. If you need to start over, or wish to enter data for a new water sample, click the reset button to clear the information you have entered.