The Texas Well Owner Network, TWON, will host free private water well screenings and a results meeting July 7-8 for Castro, Hale and Lamb counties.
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 wells on their property, as well as before-and-after samples from water treatment systems attached to the wells.
Water sampling and meeting information
Water samples can be dropped off at the following locations on July 7 from 8:30-11:30 a.m.:
• Lamb County: Agri-Life Extension office for Lamb County, 100 6th Drive, Room B- 5, Littlefield.
• Castro County: Agri-Life Extension office for Castro County, 205 N. Broadway St., Dimmitt.
• Hale County: Agri-Life Extension office for Hale County, 225 Broadway St., Suite 6, Plainview.
The follow-up results meeting will be held July 8 from 6-8 p.m. at the Olton Community Building, 406 2nd St., Olton.
The meeting will cover topics including water well basics, water wells 101, water quality and sample results.
“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,” Pigg said. Sampling instructions Those submitting samples are asked to follow the water sample instructions available at twon.tamu.edu. A water sample form must be completed for each sample.
Additional water well samples may also be submitted for analysis by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Soil, Water and Forage Testing Laboratory in Bryan-College Station.
The screenings are presented by AgriLife Extension and the Texas Water Resources Institute, a unit of Texas A&M AgriLife Research that combines expertise across The Texas A&M University System. Funding for TWON is provided 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.
For more information on the water screenings, contact Pigg at 979-321-5946 or j- pigg@ tamu. edu, or Kristie Keys, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent for Castro County, at 806-6474115.