Texas Well Owner Network Training

Weatherford – Anyone interested in private water-well management in Parker and surrounding counties is invited to the free Texas Well Owner Network training Oct. 2 in Weatherford.

The training will be held from 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. at the Doss Heritage and Culture Center, 1400 Texas Dr., said Drew Gholson, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program specialist and network coordinator, College Station.

“The Texas Well Owner Network program is for Texas residents who depend on household wells for their water needs,” Gholson said. “Well owners who want to become familiar with Texas’ groundwater resources, septic system maintenance, well maintenance and construction, water quality and water treatment will benefit from this training.”

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

Gholson said the training is one of 14 trainings being conducted statewide through the Preventing Water Quality Contamination 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,” he said.

Gholson said more than 1 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,” he said. “They are responsible for ensuring their drinking water is safe. They are responsible for all aspects of the water system—testing, inspecting, maintaining—and this training will help private well owners to understand and care for their wells.”

Funding for Texas Well Owner Network project 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, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University.

We will also be hosting a Water Well Screening in Wise County at the Womens Building at the Sheriff’s Posse Grounds in Decatur, Tx. on October 30-31^st. We will take water samples on the 30^th with an educational program will be provided for well owners to better interpret their results at pickup on October the 31^st at 5:30 p.m.  The program will run about an hour so everyone will have time for Trick or Treat that evening.  Participants can have their water well samples screened for $15, with payment due when samples are dropped off.

We invite private well owners to bring in a water sample to be screened for nitrate, total dissolved solids, arsenic and bacteria.

Well owners who would like to have their well water sampled can pick up the two sample containers – one bag and one bottle – at Wise County Texas A&M AgriLife Extension office prior to October 30th.

After filling each bottle and bag with a sample from their well, participants should bring the two samples to the Wise County Extension Office on Oct. 30^th.  Two sample bags are needed for Well water analysis for E. coli bacteria will be done by the City of Fort Worth Water Department Laboratory and for nitrate, arsenic and total dissolved solids screening.

Be watching for more information about the Wise County Water Well Screening program as we finalize specific times for you to deliver your samples to the Wise County Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service office.  For more information contact the office at 940/627-3394.