A Texas Well Owner Network, TWON, training is scheduled for July 22 in Arlington. Well owners can also bring a sample of their well water the day before the training.
The Well Educated training, which is free and open to the public, will be held July 22 from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the Trinity River Authority of Texas office, 5300 S. Collins Ave., Arlington.
Joel Pigg, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program specialist and TWON coordinator, Bryan-College Station, said the TWON 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,” Pigg said. “It allows them to learn more about how to improve and protect their community water resources.”
Optional well water testing
Well owners who would like to have their well water tested can pick up two sample containers and collection instructions in the week before the event from the Trinity River Authority office; AgriLife Extension office for Tarrant County, 200 Taylor St., Suite 500, Fort Worth; or Northern Trinity Groundwater Conservation District, 1100 Circle Drive, Suite 300, Fort Worth.
Sample drop-off will be the day before the event, July 21, from 8:30-10 a.m. at the Northern Trinity Groundwater Conservation District office, the AgriLife Extension office in Tarrant County or the Trinity River Authority office.
Screening costs $10 per sample, due when samples are turned in. Samples will be screened for nitrates, total dissolved solids and bacteria. The July 22 meeting will include information explaining the results.
Attendees can register on the Texas Well Owner Network website or by calling 979-845-1461.
“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.”
Private water well owners have responsibilities
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.
“They are responsible for all aspects of ensuring their drinking water system is safe — testing, inspecting, maintaining it,” Pigg said. “This training will help private well owners 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 TWRI, 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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