Water well owner training set for April 13 in Lincoln

LINCOLN — Anyone interested in private water well management is invited to a Texas Well Owner Network training April 13 in Lincoln, said program coordinators.

The training, which is free and open to the public, will be from 1-5 p.m. at the Lincoln Community Center, 1074 Main Ave., said Drew Gholson, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program specialist and network coordinator, College Station.

“The TWON program is for Texas residents who depend on household wells for their water needs, so they can learn about improving and protecting their community water resources,” Gholson said. “The 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.”

Participants may bring well-water samples to the training for screening. The cost is $10 per sample, due when samples are turned in. Gholson said bringing water samples to the training is not required, but those wanting to have water samples analyzed must attend.

“Water samples will be screened for nitrates, total dissolved solids and bacteria,” he said.

Well owners who would like to have their well water sampled can pick up two sample containers from the AgriLife Extension office for Lee County, 310 S. Grimes St. in Giddings, or for Bastrop County, 901 Pecan St. in Bastrop.

Space is limited, so attendees are requested to register at http://twon.tamu.edu/training or by calling 979-845-1461 as soon as possible.

Gholson said the training is one of 30 programs being conducted statewide through the Preventing Water Quality Contamination initiative of the Texas Well Owner Network project.

More than 1 million private water wells in Texas provide water to citizens in rural areas and increasingly to those living on small acreages at the growing rural-urban interface, he said.

“Private well owners are independently responsible for monitoring the quality of their wells,” Gholson said. “They are responsible for ensuring their drinking water is safe. This means they are responsible for all aspects of the water system – testing, inspecting, maintaining – and this training will help private well owners to understand and care for their wells.”

Funding for the Texas Well Owner Network is through a Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant provided by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The project is managed by the Texas Water Resources Institute, part of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, AgriLife Extension and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University.

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