Private water well screenings April 7 & 8
Residents with private wells in Hays County are invited to a low cost screening of their well water, April 7 and 8, through a program coordinated by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
The Texas Well Owner Network, TWON, will host the screening and explain the results to owners. Water samples will be screened for contaminants, including total coliform bacteria, E. coli, nitrate-nitrogen and salinity.
“The TWON program was established to help well owners become familiar with Texas groundwater resources, septic system maintenance, well maintenance and construction, and water quality and treatment,” said Joel Pigg, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program specialist and TWON coordinator, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
The program allows well owners to learn more about improving and protecting their community water resources, Pigg said.
Residents can drop off water samples at the following times and locations on April 7: – AgriLife Extension office for Hays County, 200 Stillwater Road, Wimberley, 8:30-10:30 a.m.
– Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District office, 14101 U.S. Highway 290 W., Austin, 8:3010:30 a.m.
– Barton Springs/ Edwards Aquifer Conservation District office, 1124 Regal Row, Austin, 8:30-11:30 a.m.
A follow-up meeting to explain the results of the screenings will be held from 11 a.m. to noon on April 8 at the Wimberley Village Library, 400 Farm-to-Market Road 2325.
Residents who want to have their well water screened should pick up a sample bag, bottle and instructions from the local AgriLife Extension office or groundwater conservation district office before April 7. There will be a $15 charge per sample for the screening, and residents may bring as many samples as they would like.
“It is very important that only sampling bags and bottles be used, and all instructions for proper sampling are followed to ensure accurate results,” Pigg said.
Also, he said, it is essential for those submitting samples to be at the follow-up meeting to receive results, learn corrective measures for identified problems and improve their understanding of private well management.
For more information on the water screening, contact Pigg at 979-321-5946 or [email protected].
