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Board weighs changing county ordinance after local labs stopped nitrate testing for new wells
Summary
Environmental health staff told the board its regular public lab no longer performs nitrate testing; staff recommended either contracting with Will County lab (quoted $18 per nitrate analysis) or amending the county ordinance that requires the health department to pull new-well nitrate tests. The board asked for the ordinance text and legal review.
Tarsha, the environmental health representative, told the Grundy County Board of Health that the public lab the department previously used no longer performs nitrate analysis and that surrounding counties have also stopped performing it. "They haven't in over 4 years," Tarsha said, describing the lab's change in service and the practical problem it creates for the county's ordinance requirement that the health department collect nitrate and color-form tests for new wells.
Staff reported contacting three potential labs: Will County (offering nitrate analysis at $18 per sample), Test Incorporated ($36 per sample) and PACE Analytical (which quoted a $300 minimum). Tarsha noted the department must usually get a water sample to the lab within 24 hours, creating logistical and staffing considerations if the county were to offer testing directly.
Board members discussed options: keep the ordinance as written and contract with an external lab, change the ordinance to make testing the responsibility of homeowners/closers, or cover the cost and transportation centrally. One board member cited last year's permit count (53 well permits) to argue operations could be scheduled on a periodic basis rather than daily. Several members asked legal counsel to review whether continuing to list the test as a county responsibility creates liability given that the department has not performed nitrate testing for more than four years.
Why it matters: the county ordinance currently requires health-department-collected testing for new wells before occupancy clearance; without an available local lab, the department cannot meet the ordinance as written and must decide whether to change the ordinance or contract for testing.
Next steps: Tanya will circulate the ordinance language and staff will seek legal guidance on liability and operational options before bringing a recommended path back to the board for a future vote.
