Contact: Drew Gholson, 979-845-1461, dgholson@tamu.edu
FREDERICKSBURG — Anyone interested in private water well management is invited to a Texas Well Owner Network training July 26 in Fredericksburg.
The training is being offered to private water well owners in the area through collaboration with the Gillespie County Farm Bureau and Hill Country Groundwater Conservation District.
The training, which is free and open to the public, will be from 1-5 p.m. at the Gillespie County Farm Bureau, 237 Equestrian Drive. .
A Texas Well Owner Newtork training will be held July 26 in Fredericksburg. (Texas Well Owners Network photo)
“The Texas Well Owner Network, or TWON, 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,” said Drew Gholson, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program specialist and network coordinator, College Station. “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.”
He said participants may bring well-water samples to the training for screening. The cost is $5 per sample, due when samples are turned in. Water samples will be screened for nitrates, total dissolved solids and bacteria.
Well owners who would like to have their well water sampled can pick up two sample containers from the AgriLife Extension offices in Gillespie County, Kendall County or Kerr County, or at the Hill Country Groundwater Conservation District office.
Bringing water samples to the training is not required, Gholson said, but those wanting to have samples analyzed must attend.
Gholson said space is limited, so attendees are requested to register by contacting TWON at http://twon.tamu.edu/training or by calling 979-845-1461 as soon as possible. For more information, contact the AgriLife Extension office in Gillespie County at 830-997-3452.
“The training is one of several being conducted statewide through the Texas Well Owner Network project,” Gholson said. “The core content of this program is the same as other trainings, but the information is tailored to local water quality issues and aquifers.”
He said more than a 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.
“Private well owners are independently responsible for monitoring the quality of their wells,” he said. “They are responsible for all aspects of ensuring their drinking water system is safe – testing, inspecting, maintaining it. This training will help private well owners understand and care for their wells.”
Funding for the Texas Well Owner Network is through a nonpoint source grant provided by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board. The project is managed by the Texas Water Resources Institute, part of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, the AgriLife Extension and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University.
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