The Texas Well Owner Network will present a Well Educated training related to water wells on Nov. 14 in Groesbeck. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo)
A Texas Well Owner Network, or TWON, training has been scheduled for 1–5 p.m. Nov. 14 at the Limestone County Courthouse, 200 W. State St. in Groesbeck.
The Well Educated training is free and open to the public.
Joel Pigg, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program specialist and TWON coordinator, 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,” he said. “It allows them to learn more about how to improve and protect their community water resources.”
He said participants may bring well-water samples to the training for screening at a cost of $10 per sample, due when samples are turned in.
“Water samples will be screened for nitrates, total dissolved solids and bacteria,” Pigg said.
Well water samples can be brought to the training to be screened for contaminants. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo)
Well owners who would like to have their well water sampled can pick up two sample containers from the AgriLife Extension office in Limestone County.
Pigg said bringing water samples to the training is not required, but those wanting to have water samples analyzed must attend.
Attendees can register 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,” Pigg 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.
“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 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, AgriLife Extension and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University.
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