Home Water Well Testing in the Gas Well Era
June 15, 2010
2:00 — 4:00 pm
Damascus School
Damascus, PA
or
7:00 — 9:00 pm
Park Street Complex
648 Park St
Honesdale, PA
AGENDA
- How gas wells can impact groundwater wells.
- Regulations to protect private wells.
- Potential water pollutants.
- Testing strategies – including test packages through Penn State and third party water testing.
- How to collect water samples.
- Interpretation of water test results.
Who owns groundwater in the aquifer?
http://www.mysanantonio.com/livinggreensa/84668452.html
Web Posted: 02/18/2010 12:00 CST
Who owns groundwater in the aquifer?
By Colin McDonald – Express-News
AUSTIN — The ownership and control of groundwater pumping rights in Texas is now in the hands of the state Supreme Court.
On Wednesday, the nine justices heard arguments in a case that pits the right of a landowner near Von Ormy to pump from the Edwards Aquifer against the government’s authority to regulate the use of ground and surface water.
For more than a decade, the Edwards Aquifer Authority has argued that in order for it to regulate pumping, landowners cannot own the water in the Edwards Aquifer.
It was first time the state’s highest court considered that argument.
Ground Water Awareness Week Slated for March 7-13
http://www.fb.org/index.php?fuseaction=newsroom.newsfocus&year=2010&file=nr0217b.html
Ground Water Awareness Week Slated for March 7-13
WASHINGTON, D.C, February 17, 2010 – The American Farm Bureau Federation is urging Farm Bureau members to schedule an annual water well checkup during National Ground Water Awareness Week, March 7-13.
Ground Water Awareness Week is sponsored annually by the National Ground Water Association. NGWA is urging every household well owner to check his or her well cap to make sure it is in good condition to protect the water supply from contamination.
“A damaged or unsecured well cap can allow the entry of bacteria or other contaminants into the well. It is one of the easiest things to check, and a well owner can do it,” said John Pitz, CPI, a member of NGWA’s national board of directors.
“While well owners can spot a damaged or unsecured well cap, they should always use a qualified water well systems contractor who knows applicable well construction codes,” Pitz said. “If the well cap is damaged or unsecured, the water well contractor may also need to test the water and disinfect the well.”
Having your well tested is the surest way to determine that the water is safe. Even if your well cap fits tightly on your well and your water tastes fine, the water well system should be given a checkup by a contractor every year, according to NGWA.
Farm Bureau supports National Ground Water Awareness Week because of the vital importance of ground water to farms and ranches for irrigation and because 96 percent of rural Americans depend on ground water for their water supply, according to AFBF President Bob Stallman.
“Irrigation accounts for the largest use of ground water in the United States. Some 58 billion gallons of ground water are used daily for agricultural irrigation from more than 374,082 wells,” Stallman said. “America’s farmers and ranchers take their roles as environmental stewards very seriously. We are committed to ensuring that America’s ground water supply is safe, clean and pure.”
To learn more about proper well location and construction, well maintenance, water testing and treatment, and groundwater protection, visit NGWA’s Web site, www.wellowner.org.
Contacts
Tracy Taylor Grondine
(202) 406-3642
tracyg@fb.org
John Hart
(202) 406-3659
johnh@fb.org
Great Backyard Bird Count February 12-15
http://www.emagazine.com/view/?5032
Bird Trackers
February 1, 2010
Reported by Erin Schneider
Become a “citizen scientist” this winter by participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). During the weekend of February 12-15, you and your family can aid in the necessary monitoring of birds across our nation, and assist research facilities at Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society and Bird Studies Canada. Last year, participants recorded more than 93,600 online checklists of birds sighted, creating the continent‘s largest instantaneous snapshot of bird populations ever recorded.
“The GBBC is a perfect first 
step toward the sort of intensive monitoring needed to discover how birds are responding to environmental change,” says Janis Dickinson, Director of Citizen Science at Cornell Lab. “Winter is such a vulnerable period for birds, so winter bird distributions are likely to be very sensitive to change. There is only one way—citizen science— to gather data on private lands where people live….GBBC has enormous potential both as an early warning system and in capturing and engaging people in more intensive sampling of birds across the landscape.”
After entering sighting data at birdcount.org, participants can explore real-time maps and charts that follow the birds’ movements. Contributors are also encouraged to submit photographs they have taken during the count to the GBBC photo contest where they will be entered to win an assortment of prizes.
“Taking part in the Great Backyard Bird Count is a great way to get outside with family and friends, have fun, and help birds—all at the same time,” says Audubon Education Vice President Judy Braus. “Even if you can identify a few species you can provide important information that enables scientists to learn more about how the environment is changing and how that affects our conservation priorities.”
Safe water, ponds and septic systems in 2010 water-quality webinars
Safe water, ponds and septic systems in 2010 water-quality webinars
Water quality and water conservation will be the focus of five Web-based
seminars produced by Penn State Cooperative Extension this spring. Topics will
include water testing, septic systems, managing ponds and lakes, and safe
drinking water. The first webinar will cover strategies to monitor water
wells, springs and streams that are near gas-drilling sites. That presentation
will air at noon and again at 7 p.m. on Jan. 27.
Read the full story on Live: Webinar
Test your knowledge of water trivia
What do you know about water? Take this test and see how you do.
1. Water is the only substance found on earth naturally in three forms?
2. Does water regulate the earth’s temperature?
3. At what temperature does water freeze?
4. At what temperature does water vaporize?
5. How long can a person live without food? Without water?
6. How much of the human body is water?
7. How much of the earth’s surface is water?
8. How much water must a person consume per day to maintain health?
9. Of all the earth’s water, how much is ocean and seas?
10. How much of the world’s water is frozen and therefore unusable?
11. How much of the earth’s water is suitable for drinking?
12. Is it possible to drink water that was part of the dinosaur era?
13. How much water must a dairy cow drink to produce one gallon of milk?
14. How much water does the average residence use during a year?
15. How much water does an individual use daily?
16. What does a person pay for water on a daily basis?
17. How many community public water systems are there in the United States?
18. How much does one gallon of water weigh?
19. How much water does it take to process a quarter pound of hamburger?
20. How many miles of pipelines and aqueducts are in the United States and Canada?
21. How many households use private wells for their water supply?
22. What were the first water pipes made from in the United States?
23. Where was the first municipal water filtration works opened and when?
24. How much water is used to manufacture a new car, including new tires?
25. How much water is used to produce a single day’s supply of U.S. newsprint?
Answers: 1. TRUE (solid, liquid, gas). 2. YES. 3. 32 degrees F, 0 degrees C. 4. 212 degrees F, 100 degrees C. 5. More than a month; about one week depending on conditions. 6. 66 percent. 7. 80 percent. 8. 2.5 quarts from all sources. 9. 97 percent. 10. 2 percent. 11. 1 percent. 12. YES. Water is constantly recycled. 13. Four gallons. 14. More than 100,000 gallons. 15. More than 100 gallons. 16. National average is 25 cents. 17. 54,000. 18. 8.34 pounds. 19. About one gallon. 20. About 1 million miles or enough to circle the earth 40 times. 21. More than 13 million. 22. Fire-charred, bored logs. 23. Paisley, Scotland in 1832. 24. 39,090 gallons. 25. 300 million gallons.
More questions are available at: http://www.epa/gov/safewater
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
PENN STATE LAUNCHES WATER-TESTING PROGRAM FOR PA. RESIDENTS
Carbon County Groundwater Guardian Water Testing and Education Program started in 2000. We also started conducting well owner workshops in 1999 and were part of the Master Well Owner Program.
Penn State Ag Sciences News 7/24/2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — To help ensure an abundant supply of safe
water for people, crops and livestock, Penn State’s College of
Agricultural Sciences has launched a water-testing program, which will
be administered by the college’s Agricultural Analytical Services
Laboratory.
“About 3.5 million rural Pennsylvanians rely on more than one
million private wells for their drinking water, and about 20,000 new
wells are drilled each year,” says Bryan Swistock, water resources
senior extension associate. “We hope by encouraging people to get their
water tested, we can help them to improve their water quality and to
safeguard their health.”
Swistock points out that private water supplies in Pennsylvania are
not regulated by the state or federal government, and well owners are
responsible for maintaining the quality of their own water. “However,
about half of the state’s wells that have been tested fail to meet at
least one drinking-water standard,” he says.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established primary
and secondary drinking-water standards. Primary standards apply to
contaminants — such as coliform bacteria, nitrate and lead — that
cause health problems. Secondary standards address iron, manganese,
chloride and other pollutants that cause aesthetic problems, such as
stains, odors or off-tastes. Penn State’s program will provide well
owners with reports detailing how their water-test results compare to
these EPA standards.
Similar testing will be done for water used for livestock
consumption. “When dairy and livestock producers are trying to diagnose
performance problems with their animals, water is one nutrient that
often is overlooked,” says Virginia Ishler, nutrient-management
specialist in dairy and animal science.
“It’s not uncommon for aesthetic problems, such as odors and
tastes, to cause water intake in cattle to drop, which in turn can
reduce milk production,” Ishler says. “Less frequently, bacterial
contamination can adversely affect animal health. Offering this testing
program will give us a chance to help producers diagnose and correct
problems that might be limiting productivity and profitability.”
Two testing programs for irrigation water — for
greenhouses/nurseries and for turf — will be offered. The
greenhouse/nursery testing protocols will focus primarily on nutrient
content, according to Rob Berghage, associate professor of horticulture.
“Water quality and fertility are critical to greenhouse and nursery
operators,” he says. “Managing nutrient content is especially important
for growers using recirculating systems. Too much or too little
nutrients can harm plant health.”
Berghage explains that contamination issues also can be a concern,
particularly in “beneficial re-use” systems where water is being
recycled from sewage or industrial plants. In addition, he says, knowing
what’s in irrigation water can help growers manage nutrients and
chemicals in run-off, minimizing their environmental impact and helping
to enhance water quality in streams, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay.
To submit a water sample for testing, customers first must obtain a
free water-test kit from Penn State’s Ag Analytical Services Lab or from
a participating county office of Penn State Cooperative Extension. The
kit includes shipping materials, instructions on how to take a sample
and a submission form. Residents will choose from a range of testing
options available for each water type (drinking, irrigation or
livestock) and will send the kit, with the appropriate fee, to the lab.
Test results and relevant fact sheets or recommendations typically will
be returned in two to three weeks.
For more information, contact your county Penn State Cooperative
Extension office (find it on the Web at
http://www.extension.psu.edu/extmap.html) or the Ag Analytical Services
Lab (814-863-0841, aaslab@psu.edu), or visit the lab’s Web site at
http://www.aasl.psu.edu.
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Support Groundwater Education in Pennsylvania and Consider Scheduling an Education Workshop for Your Community – just email bfenviro@ptd.net
Carbon County Groundwater Guardians is a 501(c)(3) IRS approved nonprofit, volunteer organization and your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.