As population continues to sprawl, and many former urbanites find themselves living the Green Acres life, it's important to learn about how to choose a well-water property when you don't have city services.

When choosing a piece of property with a well on it, the first thing you should have your buyer do is to get an independent, certified laboratory to test the water before the sale is final.

While there is no denying that location is the holy grail of real estate, water is the lifeblood, especially in residential properties. In rural areas the water often comes from private wells, and the quality of that groundwater is directly related to the quality of family life -- and even property values.

Given that water from private wells is influenced directly by surrounding metals, chemicals and compounds, it is often unsafe unless properly treated or filtered. Tainted water that is used for drinking or even showering, cooking or gardening can endanger a family's health, especially over long-time use. It should also be a red flag to prospective buyers of a property. If a problem is found, it should be determined beforehand that the water can be treated in some way to make it healthy.

Consequently, it is vital to health and property that water from residential wells is sampled and analyzed thoroughly. With so much at stake, this is a job for independent, certified laboratories -- not for quickie test kits or a lab that also sells water treatment equipment, a sure indicator of conflict of interest. Even if water is not odorous and tastes fine, it is still quite possible that it contains trace metals or chemicals that could be debilitating to health or even fatal if consumed or used for long periods.

Oregon State University has determined that toxic impurities present in well-water include lead, mercury, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, nitrates and VOCs (volatile organic chemicals). Other materials of concern include sulfate, chloride, iron, manganese, sodium and total dissolved solids (TDS). Also, water-borne pathogens, such as bacteria, and microscopic plants and animals may also cause short- or long-term illness.

Jeff Johnson, a real estate agent with Windermere/Trails End Real Estate in Eagle Point, Oregon, has had both professional and personal experience with well testing.

"A few years ago my family lived in a home with a private well," he recalls. "When we eventually decided to have the water tested, we did a 'Top 20' analysis (testing for the 20 most prevalent impurities), and found high levels of fluoride, so now I make sure to get it done for all of my real estate customers. If a buyer is reluctant to spend the money and there are children in the home, I encourage people to not drink the water unless they are sure it is safe."

In Johnson's professional experience, inspecting well-water is a critical part of the property inspection process.

"I never fully appreciated the importance of testing water until I got into the real estate business," he says. "Testing well water to validate that it meets the state-approved standard for bacteria and nitrate isn't enough." The fact is, there are many other harmful substances that are not commonly tested for because they are not mandated by law.

Johnson adds that unhealthy or malodorous water can be a deal-breaker in a real estate transaction. In some cases the prospective buyer becomes very anxious unless there is an effective filtration or treatment system in place.

"It is quite possible for them to walk away from the deal, and you really can't blame them," he says.

Recently, he saw a real estate deal fall through due to water contamination. "Some developers who were inexperienced with groundwater backed away from building homes on some raw parcels where trace metal levels were high," Johnson says. "Eventually a well was installed with an appropriate filtration system at the wellhead, and three new homes share the water, which is now of drinkable quality."

Among testers for well-water is the Neilson Research Corporation (Medford, OR), which offers top 30 contaminant testing.

"If a new filtration or treatment system is required," says Johnson. "I have a group of equipment manufacturers who I refer to the home buyer. But Neilson is also very willing to discuss the findings of their analysis and make recommendations directly with the customer. Since they don't make or sell equipment, there is no conflict of interest, and they do an excellent job of letting the homeowner know what they need and then checking it out after installation."

Explains John Neilson, president of Neilson Research Corporation, "While Oregon law requires that the seller of real estate test the groundwater for nitrates and coliform bacteria before a sale can be finalized, unfortunately, there can be many other contaminants present in the water that can endanger a family's health and comfort."

Homes with private wells are often susceptible to contamination by toxic chemicals and compounds that give water an unpleasant taste or odor. Since those problems involve high levels of chemicals or impurities, they are often easily detected by cursory "quick" testing. Yet, water that has been quick-tested has probably only been analyzed for high levels of a limited number of impurities. Limited testing does not approach what should be a major concern among private well users -- the long-term affects of chemical exposure and trace heavy metals such as lead.

With his firm's extensive capabilities at sampling and analyzing water, soils and contaminants, Neilson has seen many thousands of instances when untreated or unfiltered groundwater was not only unhealthy for drinking, but was also unfit for cooking, bathing or even gardening.

"The home buyers may be a young family who wants to grow fresh produce in a garden, or even a senior who has looked forward to gardening in their retirement years," says Neilson. "But groundwater with heavy metals or harsh compounds can be toxic to plants, making them unhealthy to eat and even taint the soil that has been irrigated. To some property buyers that is a heartbreaking situation."

Well water conditions change continually, so Neilson recommends that wells be tested semi-annually. Testing should be performed by a certified lab, rather than with quick-test kits sold in stores or by a company that sells filtration equipment.

"There are areas in some parts of the state where there are high levels of arsenic and other toxic contaminates in the groundwater," Neilson continues. "Your body stores them, so if you drink the water for any length of time, it's possible that it could create serious disabilities or even be fatal."