county, latitude and longitude, or point of interest. The report includes information
pertaining to the well’s location, depth, construction, water level, lo- cal geology, original driller and well owner. Visit
tceq.state.tx.us and search “water well report viewer” for more information and instruc- tions for using the database. Other sources for well informa-
By Robert Fears
tion are the Texas Water Develop- ment Board and the Texas Alliance for Groundwater Districts. Once you have established the
location and history of the well or wells on your property, the next step is to ensure that the water is safe to drink.
Water quality and testing The U.S. Geological Survey
A
CCORDING TO THE TEXAS WELL Owner’s Network (TWON), more than a million private water wells provide water to
Texans. Private water wells have a greater risk for contamination and quality issues than publicly moni- tored wells. After a well has been drilled, the
driller gives the water an initial test to make sure it is clear of harmful bacteria, minerals or other con- taminants. No federal, state or local entity will ensure your well water will remain safe to drink; that re- sponsibility falls to the landowner. However, there are a few key
steps that well owners can take to make sure their water stays safe.
tscra.org
Well identifi cation and records The Texas A&M AgriLife Exten-
sion publication “Water Well Basics” recommends that to protect your water supply, landowners should keep records on each well on their property to help manage potential sources of contamination. Each well has a unique identifi cation number assigned by the driller. If you don’t know a well’s iden-
tifi cation number, the Texas Com- mission on Environmental Quality’s (TCEQ) Water Well Report Viewer may be able to help. The Viewer is an online resource that is a map- based locator of historical reports for water wells; searchable by city,
(USGS) sampled the water quality of more than 1,300 wells in 45 states and 25 principal aquifers from 1991 to 2004. Their assessment found that in approximately 23 percent of the wells, there was at least one contaminant present at concentra- tions higher than a human-health benchmark. Human-health benchmarks in-
clude U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) and USGS health- based screening levels. The contaminants found most
frequently occured naturally from minerals like arsenic, radon and uranium. The most common con- taminants that were not naturally occurring were nitrates and fecal indicator bacteria. It might be helpful to fi nd out
what the quality of water is in your local aquifer, if possible. That in- formation may be available from local utilities and water companies. Discovering the impact that your lo- cal geological makeup can have on
May 2015 The Cattleman 77
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