Newsletter #102 for June 2024
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Grant Opportunity: Water Well Wish at The Groundwater Foundation |
Last year, The Groundwater Foundation launched a nationwide grant program called Water Well Wish, designed to provide low-income families and individuals with funding to replace or repair their private water wells. The program covers 100% of the costs of these projects, and is fully funded by donations.
“We want to provide people with this very basic need of life,” said Groundwater Foundation CEO Terry Morse in the press release first announcing the grant program. “Life expectancy is reduced by 20 years without access to clean water. If you spend your day worrying about where you’re going to get water, how are you expected to succeed or focus on anything else?”
Visit the Water Well Wish website to learn more, make a monetary or in-kind donation, or apply for a grant.
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Coming Soon in Wisconsin:
Updated Well Driller and Water Quantity Data Viewers
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The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is updating the interfaces of their well driller and water quantity data viewers. The well driller viewer is intended for drillers to check for issues at planned drill sites and to find well construction reports, and the water quantity viewer allows the public to check state-collected data on water quantity and see both pending high capacity well applications and recently approved wells.
No information or data provided on these tools will change; only the interface (which will now be functional on mobile devices as well). Find the current data viewers here: Well Driller and Water Quantity. The URLs will remain the same when the viewers are updated.
Subscribe to Wisconsin DNR email updates to receive more alerts about these tools.
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How does my private well system work?
Your well may be where your water comes from, but it would be useless without the mechanical system that conveys the water to your house, stores it, and provides the pressure so it will flow.
Read this article and watch the companion video to learn what the different components of a typical well are and how they work. To find additional articles and resources for private well owners, explore our Private Well Help Center.
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Tap Talk — Solutions-Focused Journalism: Creating Water Stories |
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In the final episode of Tap Talk’s fourth season, Steve and Jennifer welcomed Travis Loop to the show to discuss how to use solutions-focused journalism and storytelling to address our country’s various water problems. Travis is the founder of waterloop, a nonprofit media outlet exploring the progress and successes in tackling water challenges in the United States through podcasts, videos, and social media content.
Listen to the podcast episode here.
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Wells and Groundwater in the News |
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Cape Coral considers accelerating water infrastructure plans amidst well water crisis
NBC2 | Photo credit: David Wilson / Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED)
Wells in Cape Coral, Florida, are drying up amidst a groundwater supply crisis. The city has undertaken efforts to supply well users with city water, but the project is slow going: The current projections show that some homes will not be hooked up to the city water supply until 2040 or even 2045. Some wells in these areas that are expected to wait another 15 or 20 years already have dried-up wells.
Read here.
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Nevada water right holders have little choice but to sell, say water regulators
Nevada Current | Photo credit: Colton Brunson, Water Commissioner, Nevada Division of Water Resources
Due to over-pumping and drought, Nevada’s aquifers have been dwindling for decades. In an attempt to address the issue, the state has begun purchasing groundwater rights from landowners in northern and central Nevada. $25 million was allocated in the most recent budget for these purchases, but a total of $65.5 million dollars worth of water rights has been offered at sale.
Read here.
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Upcoming Webinars & Recent Recordings
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Is My Water Safe to Drink? —
Common Questions about Private Wells
June 27, 2024 | 1 PM CT
Hosted by PrivateWellClass.org
This free, live webinar from PrivateWellClass.org will help homeowners understand the basics of well care as well as how to determine whether their water is safe to drink. Participants will learn maintenance best practices and receive answers to common questions. There will be an opportunity to submit questions in advance as well as live on the webinar. The event will be recorded. | Register »
We'd love your support in distributing this information, please feel free to share the following link: https://privatewellclass.org/safe
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Septic Systems 101
July 11, 2024 | 1 PM CT
Hosted by PrivateWellClass.org
In this free webinar training hosted by The Private Well Class, you'll learn about septic system management as part of a larger strategy to protect the water in your private well. There will be an opportunity to submit questions in advance as well as live on the webinar. The event will be recorded. | Register »
We'd love your support in distributing this information, please feel free to share the following link:
https://privatewellclass.org/septic-webinar
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What Environmental Health Professionals
Need to Know about Wells
Recorded on May 16, 2024
This webinar recording discusses private well topics that environmental health professionals might encounter in the field. The webinar address topics such as: challenges and issues that environmental health professionals face; groundwater, wells, and well owner attitudes; and gaps between groundwater and health professionals.
Watch Recording »
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Oklahoma Homeowner Septic Systems and Private Well Trainings
June 11, 2024, 10:00 AM CT | Jay, OK
Hosted by Communities Unlimited
This is a dual training for homeowners to learn about their septic system and private well. The septic system training will focus on the different components of a septic system and its maintenance needs, and the private well training will focus on well basics as well as best practices in regard to testing and resiliency.
Register here.
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Ohio Field Day Private Well Training Session
June 11, 2024, 8 AM - 4 PM ET | Mount Sterling, OH
Hosted by RCAP/Great Lakes Community Action Partnership
This field day of classes for water and wastewater operators in Ohio will feature a Source Water Protection and Private Well Education session.
Register here | View the agenda
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Stains and Stinks of Drinking Water
June 19, 2024, 12 PM ET, Online
Hosted by University of Maryland Extension
Well water can sometimes have unpleasant issues such as odors, colors or off tastes. This webinar will describe common causes and treatment recommendations.
Register here.
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Testing Emerging Contaminant Mixtures in Pennsylvania
Private Wells
June 19, 2024, 1 PM ET, Online
Hosted by Penn State Extension
The prevalence of emerging contaminants like PFAS, PPCPs, and pesticides in drinking water is a growing concern. Despite serving millions, private wells receive limited attention. This live webinar will discuss findings from recent monitoring of 70 wells in Pennsylvania. There will be opportunity for questions and discussion.
Register here.
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Best Practices for EHS: Outreach & Education for Private Well Owners
June 27, 2024, 9 AM PT, Online
Hosted by Rural Community Assistance Corporation
This training is directed towards environmental health professionals and provides an overview of private wells and the importance of proper care. It will provide an introduction to well components, treatment techniques and guidelines on well maintenance. It will also dive into conducting private well assessments and providing outreach and education to users of private wells. It is free and will be worth 2 NEHA CEUs.
Register here.
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Private Well Information Sheet:
Hurricanes, Major Storms, and Flooding
Virginia Department of Health
This document, from the Virginia Department of Public Heath, explains what to do in the event of hurricanes or other major storms & floods in order to take care of your private well. The strategy focuses on the Plan-Check-Act approach, and emphasizes the importance of being prepared and prompt action.
View the document.
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Featured Video: Idaho Private Water Well Testing
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In this video, brought to you by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Idaho DHW environmental health staff explain the importance of testing your well water, how to take a water sample and next steps, the most common contaminants to look out for, and more.
Watch the video or click below.
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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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