The Texas Well Owner Network, TWON, is hosting a water screening event for those residents who may have had their private water well inundated with flood waters during the July rainfall events. The screenings will be on Aug. 12-13 in Fredericksburg, Comfort and Boerne.
Joel Pigg, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program specialist and TWON coordinator, College Station, said the Texas Well Owner Network program is for Texas residents who depend on household wells for their water needs.
“The TWON program was established to help well owners become familiar with Texas groundwater resources, septic system maintenance, well maintenance and construction, and water quality and treatment,” he said. “It allows them to learn more about how to improve and protect their community water resources.”
Water samples will be screened for total coliform bacteria and E. coli bacteria.
Water sampling and meeting information
Participants can drop off water samples on Aug. 12 from 8:30 – noon at:
- AgriLife Extension office for Gillespie County, 38 Business Court, Fredericksburg
- Hill Country Underground Water Conservation District, 508 South Washington Street, Fredericksburg
- AgriLife Extension office for Kendall County, 118 Saunders, Suite #2, Boerne
- Cow Creek Groundwater Conservation District, 9 Toepperwein Road, Boerne
There is no cost for these water well screenings.
The follow-up meeting to explain the results of the screenings will be at 10 a.m. on Aug. 13 at the Comfort Public Library, 701 High Street, Comfort.
Sampling instructions
Organizers ask those submitting samples to follow the water sample instructions available at twon.tamu.edu. A water sample form must be complete for each sample.
To learn more about the programs offered through the network or to find additional publications and resources, visit twon.tamu.edu. For more information on these water screenings, contact John Smith at 979-204-0573.
AgriLife Extension and Texas Water Resources Institute, TWRI, present the screenings in partnership with the AgriLife Extension offices in Gillespie County and Kendall County.
Funding for TWON 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. TWRI, a unit of Texas A&M AgriLife Research that combines expertise across The Texas A&M University System, manages the project.
