HARTFORD, Conn. (WTIC) – This week marks the 20th anniversary of the observance of National Groundwater Awareness Week.
From now until March 16th, Connecticut Public Health Officials are encouraging private well owners to test their water.
According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, over 800,000 Connecticut residents use wells as their main source for drinking, bathing and cooking water.
Testing is important because Connecticut does not require annual testing of private well water, leaving voluntary self-testing the only reliable way to find out if any groundwater contaminants have entered the well.
Those contaminants in New England can include uranium and arsenic according to DPH Supervising and Environmental Analyst Ryan Tetreault.
“they’re testing for those contaminants because they’re naturally occurring in bedrock in wells that are built into the bedrock and get their water from that flow through these bedrock formations,” said Tetreault. “The water in the bedrock can have naturally occurring levels of arsenic or uranium.”
He added testing is important because private well owners are responsible for the quality of their private well water. Wells are required to be tested just after construction, but no annual maintenance or testing is required by law.
DPH Commissioner Dr. Raul Pino notes that one in five Connecticut residents who get their water from wells have no way of knowing what exactly is in their water unless testing occurs.
National Groundwater Awareness Week is sponsored by the National Groundwater Association, a network of groundwater professionals who promote public policies to enhance clean, safe groundwater.
To learn more about routine safety inspections and maintenance on private wells, the DPH encourages residents to visit their website at www.ct.gov/dph/private wells or call (860) 509-8401.
