The Texas Well Owners Network (TWON) program had a significant turnout at their recent Private Water Well Screening Event on February 9th in Burnet, Texas. This one-day educational program is provided by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB), in partnership with Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Services.
TWON is designed to educate well owners on construction and maintenance of wells, septic system maintenance and improving and protecting water resources. In Texas, there are more than 1 million private wells, which provide water to over 2,230,000 citizens. TWON serves as a way to maintain clean drinking water for well owners and ensure the health of landowners and their families.
Through the Well Educated program, Burnet area residents had the opportunity to get their well water tested for various contaminates, such as E. coli, total coliform bacteria, nitrate-nitrogen, and salinity. A total of 166 water samples were collected, more than five times the amount this program typically receives. Over 150 attendees learned how to improve their private water well and received the testing results from their water samples.
The goal of the TWON program is to train Texans regarding water quality and Best Management Practices for protecting their wells and surface waters. This will avert off-site transport of contaminants to surface waters and prevent contamination of underlying aquifers.
To learn more about upcoming programs offered through the network or to find additional publications and resources, visit http://twon.tamu.edu. For more information, contact Joel Pigg at 979-845-1461 or j-pigg
tamu.edu.
Funding for the Texas Well Owner Network is through a Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant provided by the TSSWCB and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The project is managed by 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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