This document summarizes a national outreach and education program for private well owners called the Private Well Class Program. It is run by the University of Illinois with support from various partners including RCAP, NEHA, NGWA, and the WSC. The program has conducted over 22 webinars reaching about 5,500 participants over 3 years. It provides site assessments, well assessments, and recommendations to help well owners understand risks and best practices. The goal is to raise awareness about well testing, construction standards, and other issues through regional workshops and online training.

1. This program was developed by the University of Illinois
for RCAP and is Sponsored, Funded, & Supported By
Best Practices for Outreach and
Education to Private Well
Owners

2. • A national outreach and well owner education program.
• Being implemented through the Rural Community
Assistance Partnership (RCAP) and it’s 6 regional affiliates
to support private well owners.
• RCAP Partners include www.PrivateWellClass.org at the
University of Illinois, NEHA, NGWA, and the WSC.
About The Private Well Class Program

3. About 5500 participants in 3+ years

9. 22 webinars
About 2500 participants so far

11. Livestock Near My Well
• Q: My well is too close to a livestock pen. There aren’t
animals there anymore, but my water still tests positive for
bacteria and e Coli. What can I do?
• A: There are a number of things we need to know to assess
this. How deep is the well? What type of well is it? How
long since there have been livestock? Without the source, e
Coli don’t survive in the environment, according to experts,
so it could be that it’s a completely different source like your
septic system. It could also be that there is a surface breach
of your well. Regardless, once you have bacteria, proper
disinfection should take care of it. If repeated disinfection
doesn’t work, there is a source and path into your well.
Continuous disinfection or UV are probably necessary.

14. • The U of I put together a national workgroup of experts from
extension and public health; also groundwater hydrologists and
drillers, to develop a tool to assess risk of an individual well.
• Goal was to create a tool that can be used by an qualified
health, groundwater or extension person to help a well owner
understand their potential risks and vulnerabilities
• Site assessment
• Well assessment
• Geologic assessment
• Recommendations
• Plus opportunity to raise awareness about testing, BMP’s
understanding vulnerable geologies or well construction
Site Assessments

15. • RCAP Regions beta tested the tool earlier this year, each
completed 20 assessments during the testing.
• The 6 regions plan to complete an additional 100 assessments
each before the end of the year.
• Each region will also be hosting four ½ day workshops on best
practices for outreach to well owners and assessment training.
• We will also have two online workshops, likely in December
and January, covering those materials.
Site Assessment Program

16. • Give well owners direct targeted information and advice:
1. why their well is important,
2. why they should understand how it works,
3. how to help protect themselves from risk.
Goal

17. Challenges
• Lack of funding for private well programs.
• Differences in Construction Codes/ Rules:
– What is a private well.
– Permitting and well log submittal.
– New Jersey vs Pennsylvania.
– Especially in enforcing what rules they have.
• Not a lot of training available for those working with private
well owners and on private well issues.
• Has led to mostly local approaches to support well owners
in many parts of the country. Extension being the exception.

18. Why Best Practices Are Important
• Well owners are hard to reach.
• Most don’t understand the basics of well ownership.
• There aren’t a lot of large scale efforts to reach out to well
owners except in a few states.
• We continue to see the same basic issues all over the country
– poor construction, lack of well owner knowledge,
abandoned wells
• Raise national awareness of private well issues with
consistent messaging.

19. Approach
Survey and Literature Review
• Workshop presentation is based on efforts related to a CDC
funded project:
– CDC survey of programs from around the country.
– Review of public health communication literature.
– Site visits to 3 state well owner programs.
• And our own experiences.
• And the experiences of others.

21. Basic Steps for Effective Outreach

22. The Key is Breaking Down Barriers

23. Partners = Success Because They:
• Share Costs.
• Share Effort.
• Spread The Word.
• Provide Local Buy-In.

25. Questions?