An online Texas Well Owner Network, or TWON, private well owner training is scheduled for Oct.13.
A “Well Educated” training, which is free and open to the public will get offered from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m., with presentations given virtually from the Texas A&M University campus, Bryan-College Station.
The program will be targeted to residents of Kinney, Uvalde and Real counties, but others may attend.
Joel Pigg, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program specialist and TWON coordinator, Bryan-College Station, said the program is for Texas residents who depend on household wells for their water needs.
“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. “It allows them to learn more about how to improve and protect their community water resources.”
Attendees can register online or by calling 979-845-1461.
Pigg said participants may turn in well-water samples for screening at their local AgriLife Extension office at a cost of $10 per sample, due when the samples are turned in. 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 and sample collection instructions from the following AgriLife Extension offices:
- Kinney County, 117 Ranch Road 693, Brackettville.
- Uvalde County, 122 Veterans Lane, Uvalde.
- Real County, 193 U.S. Highway 83, Leakey.
Sample containers can also be obtained at:
- Kinney County Groundwater Conservation District Office, 503 S. Ann St., Brackettville.
- Uvalde Underground Water Conservation District Office, 200 E. Nopal St., Suite 203, Uvalde.
- Real-Edwards Conservation & Reclamation District Office, 234 Evergreen St., Leakey.
Samples must be turned in to one of these locations by 10 a.m. Oct. 12
Pigg said bringing water samples is not required, but those wanting to have water samples analyzed will need to attend the training.
“The training is one of several being conducted statewide through the Texas Well Owner Network project,” Pigg 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, Pigg said. “They are responsible for all aspects of ensuring their drinking water system is safe by testing, inspecting and maintaining the well. This training will help them 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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