Pinellas County Health Department urges residents to test wells for arsenic

CLEARWATER — North Pinellas residents with private wells for drinking water should have them tested for arsenic, the Pinellas County Health Department announced Thursday.

While conducting routine tests of local private water wells, the Health Department discovered above-average traces of arsenic in wells throughout Dunedin, Palm Harbor, Tarpon Springs and north Clearwater.

"We started finding some wells that had higher levels than we'd want to see," department spokeswoman Maggie Hall said.

There have not been any recent reports of arsenic-related illnesses in the county, Hall said. She did not know the arsenic levels for the tested wells, only that they were above the acceptable ratio, 167 micrograms per liter.

There is no database that keeps track of the number of private drinking water wells in Pinellas County, Hall said.

Hall said the Health Department did not know how the extra arsenic entered the wells. Arsenic can sometimes trickle down from fertilizer, or even seep naturally from soil and rocks.

Homeowners who find high levels of arsenic in their private wells should either close their well and connect to a public water supply, or install a filter to trap the arsenic, Hall said.

To have your well tested, call the Pinellas County Health Department's environmental's health hotline at (727) 538-7277, ext. 1157. Testing is free.

Martine Powers can be reached at (727) 445-4224 or mpowers@sptimes.com.