70th SWCS International Annual Conference July 26-29, 2015 Greensboro, NC

1. Drew Gholson, Diane Boellstorff, John Smith,
Ryan Gerlich, and Mark McFarland
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Soil and Water Conservation Society Conference
July 28, 2015
TEXAS WELL OWNER NETWORK
PROTECTING GROUNDWATER RESOURCES
AND HUMAN HEALTH

2. 1. Over 1,000,000 private water wells in Texas.
2. 2,230,000 citizens in Texas in rural and increasingly
those living on small acreages rely on private wells
for drinking water.
3. About 10% of the total population and 20% of the
population living outside of city limits drink well
water.
4. Two to 50% exceed nitrate MCL depending on
region (TWDB 2003-2008 data for 3,861 wells).
JUSTIFICATION

3. In Texas, a household well is exempt from
water quality regulations, including
exemption from water quality monitoring to
assure the well water is safe to drink.
Groundwater pollution can often be
prevented - the well owner is responsible for
assuring safe drinking water.

4. Groundwater in Texas

5. 2. Improvement of private well management to
safeguard homeowner health and protect water
resources.
Texas Well Owner Network Program Goals
Desired Outcomes
1. Changes in knowledge, awareness, attitudes and
actions of private well managers

6. • 2 Program types
– “Well Educated”
• All day, 6 hour training program
• Water sample screening
• 8 chapter topics
TWON EDUCATIONAL TRAININGS
– “Well Informed”
• 1 hour educational program
• Water sample campaign
• Screening result interpretation
• Wellhead protection

7. “Well Educated”
Aquifer 101
Aquifers of Texas
Water Treatment
Options
Onsite Wastewater
Treatment
Water Quantity
Watersheds and
Aquifers
Private Water Well
Basics
Water Quality and
Testing
Protecting Your Water
Supply

8. • “Well Informed”
1 hour program
– Water Sample Screening
• Fecal coliform bacteria
• Nitrates
• Total Dissolved Solids
– Education Program
• Explanation of results
• Wellhead protection
• Stimulate initial interest and
responsibility
TWON EDUCATIONAL TRAINING

9. RESOURCES OFFERED BY TWON

10. Texas Well Owner Network Program – 5,336 Participants

11. 2-phase evaluation approach:
1. Pre-test/post-test
2. 6 mo. delayed questionnaire
• To evaluate:
– Knowledge gained
– Satisfaction with program
– “Intentions to change”
PROGRAM EVALUATIONS

12. Who is our audience?
Rural
Property
<10 Acres
43%
Farm or
Ranch 10-
100 Acres
29%
Farm or
Ranch
>100
Acres
19%
Town
Under
10,000
4%
Town or
City >
10,000
5%
Primary Place of Residence
Domestic
69%
Livestock
21%
Irrigation
8%
Other
2%
Primary Water Use

13. Water Treatment
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%

14. • Knowledge Change
– 33% increase
• Satisfaction with the program
– 99%
• Intensions to adopt BMPs
– Test my water once a year – 85%
– Pump septic system regularly – 83%
– Remove possible hazards from well house – 95%
– Plug or cap any abandoned well on your property – 85%
EVALUATION RESULTS

15. 6 MONTH FOLLOW UP RESULTS
What have they actually done…
• 76% shared the resources/materials with
others who were not at the training.
• 88% of those needing to clean out hazards
from their well house had done so.
• For participants with septic tanks that needed
pumping, 55% had pumped their septic tanks
within 6 months following the program.
• 23% of participants who needed to had
plugged or capped their unused/deteriorated
wells following the program.
• 75% of participants who had wells near
contamination sources (pet shelters, livestock
yards, etc.) had moved the sources.
N= 242 , Response Rate= 31%

16. Drew M. Gholson
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Dept. Soil & Crop Sciences
Tel: 979-845-1461
dgholson@tamu.edu
twon.tamu.edu
TEXAS WELL OWNER NETWORK
PROTECTING GROUNDWATER RESOURCES
AND HUMAN HEALTH