Well, well, well… this is quite the deep subject:
Master Well Owners Network volunteers helping test water at a drinking water education workshop (via Bryan Swistock).
In rural Pennsylvania, over a million private wells serve about three and a half million people. The bad news is about half of those wells fail to meet at least one of the EPA’s safe drinking water standards.
Diane Oleson of Penn State Extension says many owners don’t test their water, but should. There’s a fifty-fifty chance it contains harmful contaminants, like nitrates, lead, or bacteria.
“You will never know they are in your water unless you are testing,” says Oleson.
So, as part of a project called the Master Well Owners Network, volunteers are trained to talk to others about testing and caring for their wells.
Because what well owners don’t know can hurt them.
Get Schooled:
- Learn more from the EPA about private water wells.
- Learn more about potential contaminants from the CDC
Watch more:
Dig deeper into drinking well water quality awareness (via WPSU).
The fine print:
- This segment was produced in partnership with Cornell’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future and made possible by the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds.
