Join the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) and the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) Sept. 9 in recognizing the importance of groundwater as part of Protect Your Groundwater Day.
Protecting groundwater consists of protecting it from contamination and using the resource wisely, and citizens’ actions directly impact groundwater quality and quantity, according to NGWA.
Groundwater is a vital resource to both rural and urban populations and makes up about 30 percent of freshwater, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Groundwater not only provides drinking water to household well owners, who obtain water from privately owned wells, but also to public water systems and customers.
In Texas, more than a million private water wells provide water to citizens in rural areas and to those living in small acreages at the growing rural-urban interface. The Texas Well Owner Network (TWON), an educational training program offered by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and managed by TWRI, delivers science-based, community-responsive education to well owners throughout Texas. The program offers two different educational events.
At Well Informed one-hour sessions, well owners can bring in their well-water samples to screen for contaminants and learn about water well protection practices. Well Educated sessions are no-cost, one-day trainings for private well owners who want to become familiar with groundwater resources, septic system maintenance, well maintenance, water conservation, water quality and water treatment. The next Well Informed trainings will be Oct. 22-23 in Weatherford.
Read more about TWON and Protect Your Groundwater Day.