Criterion Water Labs

03/24/2026

EPA News Release: EPA Releases Initial Nationwide Monitoring Data on 29 PFAS and Lithium

03/10/2026

It is a good idea to have the static height of your well checked. When column heights drop sometimes the pump can be dropped in the column but there are limits to how much deeper a bore hole can be.

Mr. Basch has measured some wells in our county. He is a great man that spoke at a Water Forum we held in October 2024.
Mark Basch
Head, Water Rights & Use Section
IDNR, Division of Water
402 W. Washington Street, Room W-264
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
317-232-0154

Official website for Indiana DNR

03/09/2026

"Groundwater contamination
In 1995 the Indiana American Water treatment facility found groundwater beneath the city contaminated with trace amounts of vinyl chloride. In 2007, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management found groundwater at four municipal wells containing vinyl chloride at levels exceeding the EPA maximum contaminant level in raw water.[129]

In 2011, it found one of the monitoring wells, not owned or used by Indiana American Water, had amounts of vinyl chloride that were more than 2,500 times the maximum level for drinking water.[129] IDEM has identified fourteen facilities that handle chlorinated solvents and could be sources to the contamination plume. Some of these potential sources are currently being managed under other authorities but there is no cleanup approach focusing on the ground water plume. Water from several well fields in Kokomo are blended and treated prior to distribution. A water treatment system has been successfully removing the vinyl chloride from the finished drinking water, but this is not a permanent solution to address the contaminated ground water plume.

The site was proposed to the National Priorities List and added to the Superfund in March 2015. No cleanup plan is yet in effect. " Wikipedia

03/09/2026

National GROUND Water Week would be a great time for our city officials to work with EPA to identify the source of our groundwater contamination from vinyl chloride. It is likely to have been Delco. Since that company has gone through bankruptcy it will probably not be possible to get help from that source. Instead it is a great time to at least start discussion on what can be done instead of ignoring the problem.

An annual observance established in 1999 to highlight the responsible development, management, and use of groundwater, the event is also a platform to encourage yearly water well testing and well maintenance, and the promotion of policies impacting groundwater quality and supply. Groundwater advocat...

01/05/2026

BIG things happening at Criterion Water Labs, LLC. We have been purchased by Gertzen Water Management Company out of Wanatah, IN.

Criterion has been operating here in Kokomo for 15 years and we are VERY grateful to our customers and officials for helping us grow. God has blessed us with a great company to keep things going. That was our big hope that it could be a smooth transition. Gertzen will operate out of our building in Kokomo at 329 E Firmin, St. for at least this first year. PLEASE let us know any questions or concerns you have. Bob and Laura Gertzen are great people with lots of knowledge in the water world. They will be a tremendous asset to our community.

Gertzen Water Management, operating under Utility Services, specializes in the operation, maintenance, and laboratory testing of drinking water and wastewater systems, including lift stations. The company provides certified professionals to ensure regulatory compliance, primarily serving small communities across the U.S. Services include contract operations for drinking water distribution, wastewater management, and in-house water quality testing.

Today we had a celebration at one of our customers, Suburban Lanes in Tipton County. Small business people are our heroes.

01/04/2026

Part of our pool samples each week this past summer. The State and Howard County Health Department require every public pool to be tested weekly for Coliform/E.coli bacteria and general water growth bacteria. During the winter we are down to 16 a week. We really admire everyone working to provide water recreation to their students, customers, and residents.

12/20/2025

Merry Christmas everybody!

11/03/2025

Good videos helping you see what is involved in getting drinking water from a well. It really is amazing. Please don't take it for granted

H2o-Mechanic Online Storehttps://www.h2o-mechanic.comOrder Direct from Us.In this video we are back at the trailer park to Install the new well pump for the ...

10/03/2025

09/25/2025

You can check this map for lead lines in your area. It is always good to know what water is touching before it enters your home. NOTE: The more we know about how things work the better we can deal with problems. Please don't take your drinking water for granted.

09/11/2025

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/6017575356188/WN_5MbTIDd-QLGSq1sV3jwM_g?sourceid=1117610&emci=7bc85145-978d-f011-b484-6045bdeb7413&emdi=8ecb5ed8-068f-f011-b484-6045bdeb7413&ceid=24093090 #/registration

When it comes to pollution, today's choices feel a lot more complicated than the old "paper, or plastic" dilemma.

Some plastic pollution is easy to see, but much of it is not. In Indiana, micro- and nanoplastics pollute every waterway and pile up on our roads. They contaminate our wildlife, our water supply, our food chains, our surroundings, and our bodies. They may seem tiny, but these particles of plastic pose risks many times their size.

But there are ways we can fight the "plastic problem." Join Hoosier Environmental Council, the Plastic Reduction Alliance of Northwest Indiana, and Save the Dunes on September 23 at 11:00 a.m. for Beyond the Bin: Rethinking & Addressing Plastic Waste.

This free, one-hour webinar will provide a comprehensive overview of the critical aspects of microplastic pollution and what Hoosiers can do to address the challenge.

Join Maria Iturbide-Chang, PhD, HEC's Water Policy Director, and other leading researchers and advocates in the region to learn how you can help put plastic waste in its place.

The proliferation of microplastics all around us is quickly becoming a health crisis for humans and our environment. In Indiana, these tiny pieces of plastic pollute our waterways, our food supply, our bodies, and our roads -- and the risks they pose are anything but tiny. Presented by Hoosier Envir...