Newsletter #111 for March 2025
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Private Well Conference Registration Opening Early March |
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Keep your eyes peeled on our website: Registration for this spring's Private Well Conference will be opening early this month!
The Private Well Conference will be held from May 20-22 as an in-person only event. We will be gathering in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, at the Bloomington-Normal Marriott Hotel & Conference Center to provide information and insights to well professionals in order to benefit well owners all over the country.
We will send a new email blast with registration information as soon as it is open. Find more information on the conference at our website, or contact us at info@privatewellclass.org or 1-866-945-0699 with questions.
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Request Free Copies of Our "Is Your Well Water Safe?" Brochure!
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We are once again distributing FREE copies of our "Is
Your Well Water Safe?" brochures!
The deadline to request copies is April 30, 2025.
These brochures are appropriate for county and state health departments, laboratories, extension offices, technical assistance providers, and other well stakeholders.
We look forward to working with you to re-supply your existing stock of brochures, or providing you with your very first batch! We're very grateful for the tremendous response these brochures have received and are so glad they are helpful in efforts to support private well owners.
You can request brochures at the form linked below. They are completely free and there is space left for you to add your own label as well. There are versions available in both English and Spanish. We expect to mail them in May 2025.
Request brochures for your organization!
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Don't Miss National Groundwater Awareness Week 2025 and the Pledge to Test Campaign!
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In conjunction with the National Ground Water Association's 2025 National Groundwater Awareness Week, the Private Well Class is hosting our next annual Pledge to Test Campaign.
Groundwater Awareness Week (GWAW) is March 9-15. This event was created in 1999 to promote the responsible development, management, and use of groundwater. It is also a yearly reminder for well owners to test and treat their systems!
Read more about GWAW at NGWA »
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This will be our tenth year leading a Pledge to Test Campaign during GWAW.
We are once again partnering with TAP SCORE to offer one free Essential Well Water Test for well owners who pledge to test their wells through our campaign. Additionally, everyone who pledges to test their well water this year will receive $10 off any well water test kit from TAP SCORE using the code PLEDGE2025.
To participate, fill out our pledge form and share your pledge with family, friends, and neighbors. You can also download pledge badges at our website (like the one above) to share on social media. We encourage you to use the hashtags #Pledge2Test and #GWAW on any social platforms that you use.
We will hold a livestream to choose the winner later this month. If you don't win, the discount code for TAP SCORE's testing kit will expire on April 30!
See more at our Pledge to Test campaign page »
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| Pledge to Test!
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Tap Talk — The Many Benefits of Iowa’s
Private Well Grants Program
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In Tap Talk episode #54, Jennifer and Steve welcomed guests from our state’s neighbor to the west: Mindy Uhle, Bureau Chief of Environmental Health at the Iowa Department of Health & Human Services, and Erik Day, a Senior Environmental Specialist at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Mindy and Erik work on Iowa’s Private Well Grants Program, a cross-agency effort to provide Iowans with free or discounted well services. The program was established through the Iowa Groundwater Protection Act, and bolsters relationship between all areas of Iowa’s private well community in addition to saving well owners money.
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From the Help Center |
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What is a spring, and can I use it as the source for my drinking water?
Learn how springs can be reliable sources for drinking water, and how proper maintenance and water quality testing are essential from this article at our Help Center.
For additional articles and resources for private well owners, explore our Private Well Help Center.
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Upcoming Webinars & Recent Recordings
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Outreach Strategies for Working
with Private Well Owners
March 12, 2025 | 1 PM CT
Hosted by PrivateWellClass.org
This free webinar will address topics such as private well fundamentals, how to assess a private well using an assessment tool, how to effectively engage private well owners, how to develop a program for outreach to well owners, and best practices for managing a well owner program.The webinar will be recorded. NEHA CE credits are available for those who attend live.
Register »
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Groundwater and Well Construction
101
April 9, 2025 | 1 PM CT
Hosted by PrivateWellClass.org
This free webinar will explain how water moves through the ground to your well and how well construction can increase contamination vulnerability. It will also cover types of wells & well construction, basic components of a well, and water treatment options.
Register »
We'd love your support in distributing this information, please feel free to share this link.
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How to Find Local Information and Help Recording
Recorded on February 18, 2025
This webinar recording explains methods for finding well logs, records, and information about your well, how to find well drillers, contractors, and financial help programs in your area, and when to sample, what to sample for, and best practices to protect your well system.
Watch Recording »
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What Environmental Health Professionals
Need to Know about Wells
Recorded on January 30, 2025
This webinar recording provides an introduction to groundwater, well construction, water quality, and well care best practices for environmental health professionals and others who serve well owners.
Watch Recording »
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Legionella Workshop
Recorded on January 22, 2025
This workshop recording covers home legionella sampling initiatives, single case investigations, travel-related single cases, the regulatory framework and research efforts in New York State, and efforts to evaluate the occurrence of Legionella in homes on private wells. The workshop shared advances in Legionella testing and research.
Watch Recording »
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In Chestnut, Black Alabamians Have Lived for Years Without Access to Public Water. There’s Little Hope in Sight
Inside Climate News
Residents of Chestnut, Alabama, are beset with old wells that have fallen into disrepair, forcing many of them to travel more than 25 miles to buy gallons of water to cover all of their needs. The community has been trying to gain access to public water infrastructure for years, but have been continually stymied by public officials.
Read here »
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Partner Events & Workshops
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Proactive Preparedness: Private
Drinking Water Well Readiness
March 10 | 12:00 pm CT | Online
Hosted by the Midwest Assistance Program
At this webinar, learn how best practices are part of
a greater strategy to assist private well owners with
emergency preparedness. Furthermore, explore
how using best practices and directly targeted
processes to prepare for future emergencies greatly lessens disaster impact for well owners.
Register here.
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Private Water Supply Education
and Water Testing
March 10 & March 18 | 3:00 pm ET | Indiana & Clarion, PA
Hosted by Penn State Extension
This event is designed for people who manage a private drinking water supply. PSU Extension will cover how to test and protect your well or spring and when water treatment might make sense. Also discussed will be well and spring system inspection and maintenance so you know how to protect your family, your property, and the groundwater we share. This event is for residents of Pennsylvania who use a private water supply (well, spring, cistern) in their primary residence.
Register here.
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Private Well Water
Workshop
March 19 | 6 pm ET | West Greenwich, RI
Hosted by the University of Rhode Island Water Quality Program
Attend this workshop to learn about regular well testing, well water protection, and good housekeeping practices to protect drinking water quality.
Register here.
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Flooding and Sea Level Rise
Impacts to Wells and Septic Systems
March 19 | 12 pm ET | Online
Hosted by University of Maryland Extension
We hear more about floods in recent years due to extreme weather and the damage they cause to buildings and road infrastructure. What we don’t see often with flooding is the damage to underground systems such as wells or septic systems. In these situations, the damage can be to our health due to contamination. This webinar will discuss issues with increased flooding, the impacts to home water and wastewater systems, and strategies to reduce risks.
Register here.
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Private Water Supply Education
and Water Testing
April 1 | 6:30 pm ET | Online
Hosted by Penn State Extension
This webinar will cover how to test and protect wells & springs and when water treatment might make sense. It will also discuss well & spring system inspection and maintenance so attendees will know how to protect well users, properties, and the groundwater we share. This event is for residents of Pennsylvania who use a private water supply (well, spring, cistern) in their primary residence.
Register here.
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Supporting Equitable Community Engagement |
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This resource from ChangeLab Solutions seeks to answer these questions:
It is meant to guide state health departments in developing activities and their roles in supporting local health departments.
To download, register for a free account with the ChangeLab Solutions resource library.
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Public Health and
Drinking Water Quality: How State Laws Affect Responses to Water Quality Contamination in Private Wells
Network for Public Health Law
This fact sheet, from the Network for Public Health Law, examines the differences in water quality regulations for private wells among the 50 states and how these differing state laws impact the ability to respond to well water contamination.
View the document »
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Featured Video: National Groundwater Awareness Week
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This video, brought to you from the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, explains how this Texas aquifer district works to protect, conserve, recharge, and preserve groundwater, in commemoration of Groundwater Awareness Week.
Watch the video »
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PrivateWellClass.org is a free, grant-funded service to support private well owners and the professionals that work with these wells. The program seeks to raise awareness of private well issues and help well owners understand their responsibilities to be a good steward of their well and water source. The Private Well Class, developed at the Illinois State Water Survey at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is a collaboration with the Rural Community Assistance Partnership with funding from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. Call us at 1-866-945-0699 for assistance.
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Visit our other websites:
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Illinois State Water Survey, 2204 Griffith Drive, Champaign, IL 61820, United States
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