What does the result of my water test mean?

Participants in animal-friendly quality concepts are obliged to have water samples taken on their farms. But, what do you have your water checked for? And what does the water test result actually mean? Is approved water really good water? In this blog, you will find an explanation of the water test and its results.

The rules

The Dutch government institution IKB requires an annual water analysis if the water comes from your own source. This test is done at the source, i.e. at the beginning of the pipe and not at the watering place. It looks at the chemical quality and bacteria in the water. Different quality marks have different rules, but in general, water at the watering place should be tested four times a year. This examines the chemical quality, bacteria, fungi and yeasts.

Chemical quality requirements

For chemical quality, source water at livestock farms is examined for 10 parameters, as opposed to 56 parameters for tap water. Also, standards for own-source water are less strict than those required for tap water. This, therefore, means that on-farm water can be approved with inferior quality.

The standards also vary by sector. Detailed information can be found here, and the general standards are in the table below:

Moreover, the quality is highly dependent on the water source (the shallower the source, the less constant) and the time of year when the sample is taken (in spring there is more nitrate due to fertilisation). So a measurement is just a snapshot.

Joost Straathof says: "Sources from a depth of 30 metres are often fairly constant. Fluctuations in water quality are usually caused by problems with source water treatment only being noticed late. The maximum permissible values for iron and manganese, among others, are thereby set high. An iron content of 8 mg/l (allowed in pigs) or a manganese content of 1.5 mg/l will cause enormous system pollution."

Moreover, important chemicals are not included in the measurement but do affect animal health, such as methane and organic pollution.

Microbiological quality requirements

Microbiological quality is often determined by measuring the number of E. coli and the total number of germs, sometimes supplemented by the number of fungi or yeasts. Here, too, the standards are broader than the requirements for tap water (as it must be bacteria-free!).

The quality of the water at the source hardly says anything about the quality of the drinking water: the contamination takes place in the pipes and at the drinking place. Research shows that the germ count at the drinking point is on average 25 times higher than at the source. A good measurement takes place at the drinking point; i.e. from the trough or at the nipple, so you know what the animals are actually drinking.

Want to be sure, the water is good at all times? Read how here!

Again, there are important parameters that are not examined. For instance, there are bacteria such as Salmonella that may be present in the water but are not measured. Moreover, the presence of viruses is not examined at all.

The results, and now what?

After the water test, you will receive the results. It often states whether the water is suitable or not and what type of (light) contamination there is. Note: suitable does not yet mean good, as the values in the tables above show. Contact us for appropriate advice.

If the chemical quality is not right, it can often become a costly investment. Hitting a new well or the investment (and maintenance) in equipment such as ion exchangers or aerators can become very expensive.

Joost Straathof:

"I also advocate more intermediate monitoring of source water quality after purification. For this, you can mount a transparent filter after purification to quickly notice colour differences. Proprietary test sets for iron and hardness are also a good tool."

Our advice then is to switch to tap water. With tap water, the quality is guaranteed and in terms of cost, it only saves a few pennies a year. Something easily recouped through animal health and production.