The Private Well Stewardship Program is an educational program offered through Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in which private well owners learn about the responsibilities and risks of being a private well owner and are connected to additional resources to manage their well. The main goal of the program is to encourage private well owners to test their water quality once per year.

This program is designed for busy Iowans, consisting of a single one-hour session, with the goal of assisting your clients in safeguarding
their drinking water.

Did you know that Iowa has a unique funding source for free or low-cost annual testing of private wells? Or that some water pollutants are odorless, tasteless and will not be removed by boiling water? If you’re curious about the answers to these questions, then take advantage of the upcoming learning session which will detail how to test your well and who can help, common contaminants, and factors that affect well water quality.

The program will be taught by Catherine DeLong, Water Quality Program Manager for ISU Extension and Outreach. According to DeLong, “About 230,000 Iowans rely on private wells as their home’s main water source, yet many do not know they should be testing once a year and that Iowa has a unique funding source to help cover the cost of testing.”

The program will take place on Tuesday, November 18th from 6:00 p.m. – 7:15 p.m. at the Lakin Community Center located at 61321 315th Street in Malvern. Pre-registration is requested; to RSVP contact the Mills County Extension office by phone (712) 624-8616 or email (kpitzen@iastate.edu).