Date:   March 20, 2024

To:       SRWD Community Residents

RE:       Water Testing Scam

            This is a customer service alert provided by the Oregon Health Authority:

Seal Rock Water District (SRWD) was informed by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), through the Drinking Water Program, of a water testing scam after some Oregon residents started receiving water sampling kits in the mail and had questions about their validity.

While not a criminal scam, these businesses operate in a manner that raises serious concerns. The small print at the bottom of their mailers clearly states they are not affiliated with EPA or city or county health departments. Instead, this private business uses fake home testing kits to collect information to identify leads and sell expensive point-of-use (POU) filtration. By submitting the kit and answering the questions, homeowners are providing them with a wealth of information [name, address, water source, your opinion of your water, whether you have POU, etc.]. They can use this data to contact the homeowner to say their test results are bad, but the company can perform a thorough in-home analysis for free. Then, they push to sell an expensive water softener or POU when they’re in the individual’s home.

Growing public awareness of potential water quality problems, aided by increased marketing efforts by the industry, have resulted in a significant increase in scamming activity. SRWD is bringing this to the attention of our customers in an effort to inform the community that the SRWD continually delivers drinking water that meets or exceeds state and federal regulatory limits. Safe, reliable drinking water is a basic life necessity. SRWD understands this and appreciates the opportunity to provide this essential service to the Seal Rock community every day. We believe it is important for our customers to understand where their water comes from, how safe it is, and what actions we take to ensure its continued quality.

If you have questions or concerns, we invite you to visit the district’s website at www.srwd.org to review a copy of the district’s most recent Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) or, obtain more information provided by Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Drinking Water Program regarding water testing scams.

Thank you.