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Newsletter #128 for August 2026
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Visit the Private Well Class Team at the Illinois State Fair! |
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Private Well Class Program Director Steve Wilson, Illinois State Water Survey Director Jenna Shelton, and Private Well Class staff Erin Huggett & Katelyn McLaughlin at the 2025 Illinois State Fair in Springfield, Illinois.
For our fellow Illinois residents: Our yearly visit to the Illinois State Fair is coming up this month!
Just like always, we will be located in Conservation World — We’re scheduled to be there 10am-7pm on August 14-16 and 21-23.
We’ll have information about our outreach programs, as well as our groundwater flow and private well pump models to educate and entertain all visitors. We’re looking forward to seeing you in Springfield! Follow the link below for more information and to buy tickets for the fair. |
| Illinois State Fair » |
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Private Well Conference 2026
Video Recordings Are Now Available
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This past May, we hosted our sixth Private Well Conference in Missoula, Montana. The conference served as a national workshop to unite the private well community and emphasized the importance of collaboration and partnerships.
All of the educational sessions were recorded and are now available to view for free on our YouTube channel!
These presentations were specifically geared for well practitioners. Speakers provided information and insights to be taken home and used locally with individual well owners. Most outreach and education work with well owners is done on a local scale, and this conference supports the thousands of professionals who work with well owners every day — from health department staff, EHPs, drillers, and beyond.
Click below to view the presentations in YouTube playlist format, or click here to read more about the conference at our website!
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TT082 – Understanding This Year’s El Niño
with the Illinois State Climatologist |
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This season on Tap Talk, we were pleased to welcome to the show a colleague from the Illinois State Water Survey: Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford! Trent explained the weather phenomenon of El Niño to Steve & Jennifer, including the science behind the oscillation’s mechanics; the likelihood of this year’s El Niño becoming a “Super” El Niño; the expected impacts on regional climates around the world; and what these impacts can mean for water supplies, systems, and wells.
Listen at the Tap Talk website by heading to DrinkingWaterPodcast.org or clicking on the button link below. You can also find the show on audio platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, and Audible.
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Where should my new well be located?
Head to this article at our help center to learn how to choose a safe location for a new well by considering water availability, contamination sources, groundwater flow direction, and neighboring wells.
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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Is My Water Safe to Drink? – Common Questions about Private Wells
August 12, 2026 | 1 PM CT
Hosted by PrivateWellClass.org
In this webinar you’ll learn the answers to common questions about private water wells, including how to get well water tested, what to do to take care of a well, and how to know if a well is susceptible to contamination.
Register »
We would love your support in distributing this information. Please feel free to share this link.
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Well Care 101 –
What You Need to Know to Protect Your Family
September 15, 2026 | 1 PM CT
Hosted by PrivateWellClass.org
In this free webinar training, attendees will learn about how to protect their health by learning the basics of well care. It will cover subjects such as how to determine well water is safe for drinking, simple best practices for well maintenance, and solutions to the most common well problems.
Register »
We would love your support in distributing this information. Please feel free to share this link.
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Septic Systems 101
Recorded on July 9, 2026
This webinar answered questions about about septic system management as part of a larger strategy to protect the water in your private well.
Watch Recording »
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How to Find Local Information and Help
Recorded on June 10, 2026
This webinar explained how to find local resources for well information and assistance, and addressed topics including: methods for finding well logs, records, and information about your well; finding well drillers, contractors, and financial help programs; and when to sample, what to sample for, and best practices to protect your well system.
Watch Recording »
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Virginia well owners face $300 PFAS tests, and neighbors are stepping in to help
The Cool Down
As we know, private wells are not covered by the Safe Drinking Water Act, and therefore aren't subject to testing requirements to determine drinking water safety. This is an issue for the increasing number of people who are concerned that their wells contain PFAS, or forever chemicals, which well owners often must pay to test for themselves. In Virginia, where this test can cost $300, some communities are pooling support to each other to help pay for these tests.
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| Read here » |
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Partner Events & Workshops |
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Well Water Screenings: South Texas
August 4 | Caldwell and Hays counties
August 6 | Scurry and Mitchell counties
Hosted by Texas Well Owner Network (TWON)
TWON has two upcoming water well screening events for residents of various areas in Texas on August 4 and August 6. Find further information on times, locations, and sampling instructions at the TWON's website, linked below.
More information for August 4 » ||| More information for August 6 » |
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Private Well and Water Quality Workshop
August 4 | 9 am ET | Vernon, FL
Hosted by Florida Extension
Join Florida Extension for a workshop to learn about how private wells and septic systems work, maintenance, and protecting your drinking water quality. This workshop will focus on residential private wells and water quality for homeowners.
Register here. |
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Water Explorations series
August 5 | Forested Headwaters and Drinking Water | 1 pm ET
August 19 | Treatment Equipment Certification | 1 pm ET
August 26 | Radium and Salinity in Groundwater | 1 pm ET
Hosted by Penn State University Extension
The Penn State Extension "Water Explorations" webinar series is intended for Pennsylvania residents to learn about niche topics in the water field, concerning application in both public and private water supplies. Three installments of the series will take place this month.
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Septic System Basics for Homeowners
Various dates
Hosted by Communities Unlimited
Communities Unlimited is hosting six installments of their homeowner training for septic systems this month. The training gives participants a simple, easy-to-understand overview of how septic systems operate and the importance of proper system care and maintenance. Four sessions will be online for residents of Mississippi, and two sessions will take place in-person in Jay, Oklahoma.
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Virginia 2026 Drinking Water Clinics
August 11 & 19 | Various locations
Hosted by the Virginia Household Water Quality Program & Virginia Cooperative Extension
The Virginia Household Water Quality Program drinking water clinics typically run from February to November each year. Covering about 70 counties, these clinics provide homeowners a chance to have their well water testing at a reduced rate.
Find the full list of dates, locations, and registration information here. |
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Private Wells and the Community
August 25 | 10 am OR 2 pm | Online
Hosted by Communities Unlimited
These two training sessions will provide the attendee with an enhanced knowledgebase of private wells. Topics of discussion will include the types of sources, testing, well components, and important documents for well owners to have on hand.
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Post-flood private well water screening:
Fredericksburg, Comfort and Boerne counties
August 12-13 | 8:30 am
Hosted by Texas Well Owner Network
TWON is hosting a water screening event for residents that may have had their private water well inundated with flood waters during July's rainfall events. There is no cost for these screenings. Samples should be dropped off on August 12 and there will be a meeting to explain the results of the screenings on August 13 in Comfort, Texas.
Register here.
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See Us at NEHA This Week
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Don’t forget, if you’re attending the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA)’s Annual Educational Conference & Exhibition next week in Kansas City, our team will be there!
This conference is an annual opportunity for the brightest minds in environmental health to connect and strengthen the professional field that our team always looks forward to. We will have a booth in the exhibit hall and give the presentation "What's In Your Well Water: Determining What Contaminants to Test For" on Wednesday, August 5, at 9 am. Make sure to connect with us!
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| More info on AEC from NEHA » |
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Well Maintenance and Groundwater Protection
National Environmental Services Center
Given how many people in this country rely on groundwater (both from public and private well systems), it's of high importance that these wells are maintained properly to prevent groundwater contamination. Check out this Tech Brief from the former National Environmental Services Center to brush up on the basics of how well maintenance relates to groundwater protection.
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| View the Tech Brief » |
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Featured Video –
Clean Well Water: Private Water Well Parts
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This video, brought to you by the Louisiana Department of Health, covers the individual parts of a private water well, as well as the procedures a well owner should take to properly care for and maintain their private well and its parts. |
| 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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Click here to unsubscribe | Sent to: _t.e.s.t_@example.com
Illinois State Water Survey, 2204 Griffith Drive, Champaign, IL 61820, United States |
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