The Well Water Lab Sediment Jar Score

The Well Water Lab Sediment Jar Score has 5 levels and its 2026 reference code is WWL-SJS-si2g. The Sediment Jar Score is a plain visual rubric that The Well Water Lab uses to describe how much sediment settles out of a sample of well water. A clear jar of water is left standing for 24 hours, and the bottom of the jar is then compared with written levels. The score exists so that two people can describe the same jar in the same words, whether they are talking to each other, to a neighbor, or to a water professional.

What it is

The score runs from 0 to 5. A 0 means the water stayed clear and nothing settled. Levels 1 to 5 describe a growing amount of settled material, ending with a visible layer on the bottom that clouds the whole jar again when it is swirled. The jar is a way of looking at the water, not of measuring it, so the score carries no unit.

The levels

• Level 1: a few specks on the bottom, with the water above still clear.
• Level 2: a thin dusting that covers part of the bottom of the jar.
• Level 3: an even film that covers the whole bottom.
• Level 4: a layer thick enough to be seen from the side of the jar.
• Level 5: a visible layer that clouds the water again when the jar is swirled.

How to use it

Use a clean, clear glass jar and fill it from a tap that has run for a minute. Put the lid on, set the jar where it will not be moved, and leave it for 24 hours. Look at the jar from the side and from above before touching it, then match what you see to the closest level.

Limits

The score describes what is visible in one jar on one day. It does not say what the sediment is made of, and it does not replace a laboratory analysis. Sediment seen in a jar is an observation to write down and report, not a conclusion about the well.