N RANCHING
atural Resources
Texas Well Owner Network Trains Residents on Water Well Issues
By Danielle Kalisek, Texas Water Resources Institute
“This training helps well owners to understand and
care for their wells,” says Dr. Diane Boellstorff, assis- tant professor and AgriLife Extension water resource specialist in Texas A&M University’s Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. AgriLife Extension specialists in Texas A&M Uni-
versity’s soil and crop sciences and biological and ag- ricultural engineering departments conducted 14 free, 6-hour “Well Educated” TWON trainings during 2013, with about 750 participants. The program continues through 2016, and additional trainings are planned throughout the state each year. “Well owners who want to become familiar with
Texas’ groundwater resources, septic system main- tenance, well maintenance and construction, water quality and water treatment will benefi t from this train- ing,” said Drew Gholson, AgriLife Extension program specialist and network coordinator. Other topics covered at trainings include improving
and protecting water resources, aquifers, watersheds, well siting and construction, water quantity, common contaminants in well water, water quality testing, water treatment options and protecting well water quality. One particularly important topic is knowing and
Private well owners in Texas are responsible for ensuring their water well is safe to use. The Texas Well Owner Net- work is traveling all over the state to provide trainings and screenings.
I
N TEXAS, PRIVATE WELL OWNERS ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ensuring that their water wells are safe to drink from and use. To give well owners needed resources and
information, the Texas Well Owner Network (TWON) is traveling all over the state to provide trainings and screenings. The network, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Service program, informs residents about well water issues, provides water quality testing and helps well owners improve their water’s quantity and quality.
48 The Cattleman May 2014
maintaining the area surrounding wells, such as through septic system maintenance, said Ryan Gerlich, an AgriLife Extension program specialist who special- izes in wastewater and speaks at the trainings. “Septic systems are not fl ush and forget systems,”
he said. “They do need to be pumped out and main- tained on a regular basis. That type of preventative maintenance is critical for protecting downstream components and for the extended life of that system.” Although not required to, well owners can bring
water samples to the trainings for analysis. “Private well owners are invited to bring in a water
sample from their well to the trainings to be screened for nitrates, total dissolved solids and bacteria,” Ghol- son said. Depending on the particular program location, sample bags and bottles are typically available at the
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