Water well screenings set for multiple counties July 1-2 in Stephenville
Eastland, Erath, Hamilton, Hood and Somervell residents invited to test well water, attend results meeting
The Texas Well Owner Network, TWON, will host private water well screenings on July 1 for residents in Eastland, Erath, Hamilton, Hood and Somervell counties. A results meeting and educational program will be held July 2 in Stephenville.
The cost of the screening is $15 per sample, and residents may submit as many samples as they would like. Water samples will be screened for contaminants including total coliform bacteria, E. coli, nitrate-nitrogen, arsenic and salinity.
The TWON program serves residents who depend on household wells for their water needs, said 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.
“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,” he said. “It allows them to learn more about how to improve and protect their community water resources.”
Well owners are encouraged to bring water samples from all the wells on their property, and water samples from before and after any water treatment systems that may be attached to the wells.
Water sampling and meeting information
Water samples can be dropped off on July 1 from 8:30-11 a.m. at the following locations:
- AgriLife Extension office for Eastland County, 102 N. Lamar, Suite 307, Eastland.
- AgriLife Extension office for Erath County, 100 W. Washington St., Stephenville.
- AgriLife Extension office for Hamilton County, 101 E. Henry, Hamilton.
- AgriLife Extension office for Hood County, Hood County Annex 1, Room 22, 1410 W. Pearl St., Granbury.
- AgriLife Extension office for Somervell County, 1405 Texas Drive, Glen Rose.
The results and educational meeting will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on July 2 at the Erath County Annex, 222 E. College St., Stephenville. Topics covered will include water well basics, water wells 101, water quality and sample results.
Sampling instructions
Attendees are asked to follow the water sample instructions available at twon.tamu.edu. A water sample form must be completed for each sample submitted.
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.
To learn more about the programs offered through the network or to find additional resources, visit twon.tamu.edu. 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 nonpoint source grant provided by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
