A Texas Well Owner Network training offered by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service has been scheduled for May 31 in Hamilton.

The “Well Educated” training is free and open to the public from 1-5 p.m. at the AgriLife Extension office for Hamilton County, 101 E. Henry St. It is being offered to area private water well owners through collaboration with the Leon River Watershed Partnership.

Dr. Drew Gholson, AgriLife Extension program specialist, College Station, said the Texas Well Owner Network, or TWON, program is for Texas residents who depend on household wells for their water needs, allowing them to learn more about how to improve and protect their community water resources.

“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.

Gholson said participants may bring well-water samples to the training for screening. The cost is $10 per sample, due when 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 from the AgriLife Extension offices in Hamilton or Coryell counties.

Bringing water samples to the training is not required, Gholson said, but those wanting to have water samples analyzed must attend.

Gholson said space is limited, so attendees should register as soon as possible online at http://twon.tamu.edu/training or by calling 979-845-1461.

The training is one of several being conducted statewide through the Texas Well Owner Network project.

“The core content of this program is the same as other trainings, but the information is tailored to local water quality issues and aquifers,” Gholson 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.

“Private well owners are responsible for all aspects of ensuring their drinking water system is safe, including testing, inspecting and maintaining the system,” Gholson said. “This training will help private well owners to 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, the AgriLife Extension and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University.

Source: AgriLife Today