Penn State Extension: 8-Part Wednesday Water Webinars Start April 14 To Discuss Private Drinking Water Supply Issues

By Danielle Rhea, Extension Educator

Back by popular demand, Penn State Extension is hosting an 8-Part webinar series to explore a variety of topics related to groundwater resources, private water supply management, septic system management, and select drinking water contaminants.

There are over one-million households in Pennsylvania relying on private water systems, such as a well, spring, or cistern. 

In Pennsylvania, residents that get their drinking water from a private water system are voluntarily responsible for ensuring that their drinking water is safe. 

Managing these private water supplies can be a challenge because there are no statewide standards for well construction, maintenance, or water testing. 

The quality and quantity of the groundwater available to us can be impacted by many things, from the natural geology of the aquifer to the surrounding land use to even the way a well is constructed.

Although not required in Pennsylvania, sanitary well construction, good maintenance practices, and regular water testing are all important for assuring safe drinking water. 

While people are often most concerned with impurities that change the way water looks, smells, or tastes, many contaminants that can harm our health are undetectable without regular water testing. 

If a contaminant is detected in a private water supply, there are several options that should be considered, such as removing the source of pollution, performing any needed maintenance or repairs, or treating the water.

 It is important to be mindful of land use activities happening near a well to determine what may impact water quality and know that there is no singular treatment system that can solve all water quality problems.

Interested in learning more about managing private water supplies? 

From April 14 through June 9 on select Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m., the Water Webinar Wednesday Series will discuss private water supply best management practices, implications of certain land uses, septic system management, as well as the occurrence and treatment of certain drinking water contaminants in private water systems. 

The following schedule includes the list of topics that are a part of this series. Choose a topic to register.

-- April 14: Common Drinking Water Problems and Solutions 

-- April 21: Causes and Treatment of Dissolved Solids and Suspended Sediment in Wells and Springs 

-- April 28: Getting Your Water Tested Through the Penn State Testing Lab 

-- May 5: Septic System Management 

-- May 12: Management of Private Water Supplies Near Gas Drilling Sites 

-- May 19: Trace Metals in Private Water Supplies 

-- June 2: Sodium, Chloride, and Other Salts in Private Water Supplies 

-- June 9: Causes and Treatment of Hard Water 

These live webinars are free to attend, but registration is required. We invite you to join us each Wednesday to learn more about the water around us in Pennsylvania.

 

(Reprinted from Penn State Extension Watershed Winds newsletter.  Click Here to sign up for your own copy.)

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[Posted: March 22, 2021]  PA Environment Digest