Water Well Owners Educational Event – April 24, 2018

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Water Well Owners Educational Event

April 24, 2018

Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension Center

1229 N US Hwy 281 (corner of Hwy 281 & Lingleville Hwy)

Stephenville, TX

Pre-register for the workshop at

http://twon.tamu.edu/training/  or call 979-845-1461

The training, which is free and open to the public, will be from 1-5 p.m. at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, 1229 N. US Highway 281. It is being offered to area private water well owners through collaboration with the Middle Trinity Groundwater Conservation District.

“The Texas Well Owner Network, or TWON, program is for Texas residents who depend on household wells for their water needs, so they can learn more about how to improve and protect their community water resources,” said Dr. Drew Gholson, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program specialist and TWON coordinator, College Station. “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 participants may bring well-water samples to the training for screening. The cost is $10 per sample, due when samples are turned in.

“Water samples will be screened for nitrates, total dissolved solids and bacteria,” Gholson said.

Well owners who would like to have their well water sampled can pick up two sample containers from the AgriLife Extension offices in Erath, Comanche, Bosque or Coryell counties.

Bringing water samples to the training is not required, Gholson said, but those wanting to have water samples analyzed must attend.

Gholson said space is limited, so attendees are requested to register at http://twon.tamu.edu/training or by calling 979-845-1461 as soon as possible.

The training is one of several being conducted statewide through the Texas Well Owner Network project.

“The core content of this program is the same as other trainings, but the information is tailored to local water quality issues and aquifers,” Gholson 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.

Texas Well Owner Network:

Instructions for Collecting and Submitting

Water Samples

Visit https://youtu.be/sjbSJFUzgtY to view a video on how to take a sample.

  • Wash your hands.
  • Use a faucet as close to the well as possible for making the collection. If an inside faucet is used, remove the aerator on the end of the faucet before making the collection.
  • Rinse and dry the exterior of the faucet to prevent exterior contamination of your water sample. If possible, wipe off with a Chlorox-type towelette or paper towel wetted with a light bleach solution to kill any bacteria present on the faucet. Allow the solution to dry before sampling.
  • Turn on the water full force and let it run at full force for two minutes.
  • Reduce the water flow to a small stream.

 *** Fill both the bag AND the bottle***

 Bottle:

  • This container has a line for 100 mL. Please fill the water slightly above 100 mL line and do not rinse the powder out of the container. It is there to neutralize chlorine. Unless your sample is collected in a sterile container and every precaution taken to avoid contamination, the results of the analysis may be without value.

 Bag:

  • Tear off the perforated strip above the yellow twist ties from the top of the bag. Grasp the small white tabs on the side of the water-sampling bag and pull the bag open (be careful not to touch the inside of the bag with your fingers).
  • Holding the bag by the yellow twist ties, fill the sampling bag three-fourths full and then twirl the bag top over bottom to close it. Some water may leak out, but don’t worry.  Tie the twist ties together.
  • Cost per sample is $10.00. *** Fill both the bag AND the bottle*** This is one sample

Submitting the Samples:

Refrigerate the sample and transport it to the workshop (in an ice chest) as soon after collection as possible (6 hours is best, but up to 24 hours).

Please Note: Samples should be collected within 24 hours before the training to ensure accurate results.

 Visit http://twon.tamu.edu/ to register and for more information. 

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