Well Assessment Tool Now Available
for Well Inspectors
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[February 22, 2017]
CHAMPAIGN,
Ill. –Sanitarians, drillers, and other professionals who evaluate
private well safety can use a new, thorough well assessment tool
from the University of Illinois’ Prairie Research Institute (PRI) to
better learn how to assist homeowners and identify potential
problems with family wells.
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When purchasing homes, owners typically know little about the
wells that provide their water, said groundwater hydrologist Steve
Wilson with the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS), a division of
PRI. Some mortgage loan companies require that wells be inspected
prior to the sale, but in other cases, this is the sole
responsibility of the homeowners. They may hire a professional to do
the job.
The ISWS and the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP)
convened a team of experts to develop the private well assessment
tool, a nine-page survey with questions on water usage, well depth,
pump maintenance, household plumbing, and water quality, among
others.
“The assessment provides a comprehensive evaluation of the possible
sources of contamination at or near the well,” Wilson said. “It is
designed to evaluate potential risk to the well or well water
quality that ranges from flooding of a local creek to something
stored in a nearby barn.”
RCAP is offering training for well professionals to learn how to use
the assessment tool as part of a four-hour workshop that includes
best practices for outreach to well owners. The workshops provide
Continuing Education Units for sanitarians through the National
Environmental Health Association (NEHA).
“The great thing about this assessment tool is that it also gives us
a chance to work one-on-one with well owners to promote best
practices, answer questions, and encourage routine sampling,” Wilson
said.
The assessment tool is available at
http://privatewellclass.org/appendix.
RCAP has provided more than 20 workshops around the country in the
past 12 months and will be conducting more during 2017. The ISWS
also plans to conduct one or two workshops in 2017 in Illinois and
via webinar. To find out more about these and other well owner
workshops, check the Private Well Class workshops page at
http://privatewellclass.org/workshops.
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To learn more about the Private Well Class program, including a free 10-lesson
class for well owners, monthly webinars, and resource materials, visit
http://privatewellclass.org/.
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About the Prairie Research Institute: The Prairie Research Institute (PRI) at
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign comprises the Illinois Natural
History Survey, Illinois State Archaeological Survey, Illinois State Geological
Survey, Illinois State Water Survey, and Illinois Sustainable Technology Center.
PRI provides objective natural and cultural resource expertise, data, research,
service, and solutions for decision making, the stewardship of Illinois’
resources, and the public good.
www.prairie.illinois.edu
[THE PRAIRIE RESEARCH INSTITUTE]
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