Municipal water systems draw their water from reservoirs or community wells. For example, New York City and Lower Westchester County rely on upstate reservoirs for water. Most of Nassau County and the more populated parts of Suffolk County rely on municipal wells. Rockland County and parts of New Jersey have either municipal wells or reservoir water. Less populated areas like parts of eastern Long Island, Connecticut, upper Westchester, and Putnam rely on private wells .
Water testing is expensive.
Each contaminant that you test for requires specific laboratory protocols. In addition, some buildings have conditions that indicate specialized tests such as lead in water . The more contaminants that you test for, the greater the cost of analysis. Water testing is not part of a pre-purchase engineering inspection. However, you may wish to perform a water test, especially if the building uses well water .