KILLEEN — Anyone interested in private water-well management in the Lampasas River watershed area is invited to the Texas Well Owner Network training June 20 in Killeen.
The no-cost training will be held from 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. at Texas A&M University–Central Texas campus, 1001 Leadership Place, according to Drew Gholson, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program specialist and network coordinator, College Station.
A no-cost Texas Well Owner Network training is set for June 20 in Killeen. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo)
The Clearwater Underground Water Conservation District will provide lunch free of charge.
“The Texas Well Owner Network program is for Texas residents who depend on household wells for their water needs,” Gholson said. “Well owners who want to become familiar with Texas’ groundwater resources, septic system maintenance, well maintenance and construction, water quality and water treatment will benefit from this training.”
The Lampasas River Watershed Partnership has identified the well-owner training as part of its education and outreach efforts.
Participants can have their well-water samples screened for $10, with payment due when samples are turned in at the training, Gholson said.
“We invite private well owners to bring in a water sample to be screened for nitrate, total dissolved solids, arsenic and bacteria,” he said.
Well owners can pick up sample bags at AgriLife Extension offices in Bell, Burnet, Mills, Hamilton, Coryell, Williamson or Lampasas counties, or at the Clearwater Underground Water Conservation District.
“They should then fill each bag with a sample from their well and bring the samples to the training on June 20,” Gholson said.
Bringing water samples to the training is not required, Gholson said, but if people want their water samples analyzed, then they must attend the training.
Attendance is limited, so attendees are requested to register at http://twon.tamu.edu/training or by calling 979-845-1461 as soon as possible.
Gholson said the Killeen training is one of 14 being conducted statewide through the “Preventing Water Quality Contamination through the Texas Well Owner Network” project.
“The core content of the trainings is the same, but the information is tailored to the local water quality issues and aquifers,” he said.
“More than 1 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,” Gholson said. “Private well owners are independently responsible for monitoring the quality of their wells. They are responsible for ensuring their drinking water is safe. They are responsible for all aspects of the water system—testing, inspecting, maintaining—and this training will help private well owners understand and care for their wells.”
Funding for Texas Well Owner Network project 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 Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University.
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