Private water well screenings set for Bee County on Oct. 7-8
Residents are invited to participate in water well screenings and a results meeting in Beeville
The Texas Well Owner Network, TWON, will host private water well screenings for Bee County residents on Oct. 7, with a results and an education meeting on Oct. 8, in Beeville.
Joel Pigg, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program specialist and TWON coordinator, Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Bryan-College Station, said the TWON program serves Texas residents who depend on household wells for their water needs.
The cost of the screening is $15 per sample. Well owners are encouraged to bring samples from all the wells on their property, as well as samples taken before and after any water treatment systems attached to the wells. Water samples will be screened for contaminants, including total coliform bacteria, E. coli, nitrate-nitrogen and salinity.
“The TWON 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,” Pigg said. “It allows them to learn more about how to improve and protect their household and community water resources.”
Water sampling instructions
Water samples can be dropped off on Oct. 7 from 8:30-11 a.m. at the AgriLife Extension office for Bee County, 210 E. Corpus Christi St., Beeville.
The follow-up meeting will be held from noon to 4 p.m. on Oct. 8 at the Bee County Emergency Operations Center and Community Affairs Building, 216 S. Farm-to-Market Road 351, Beeville. Topics covered will include water well basics, septic systems, water quality and sample results.
Pigg said it is essential for those submitting samples to attend the follow-up meeting to receive results, learn corrective measures for identified problems and improve their understanding of private well management.
Those submitting samples are asked to follow the water sample instructions available at tx.ag/TexasWellOwnerHome under the water sample information tabs.
A water sample form must be completed for each sample.
For more information on the water screening, contact Pigg at 979-321-5946 or [email protected].
The screenings are presented by AgriLife Extension and Texas Water Resources Institute, TWRI, a unit of Texas A&M AgriLife Research that combines expertise across The Texas A&M University System.
Funding for TWON is through a Clean Water Act source grant provided by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
