03-11-2009, 08:10 AM
NASHVILLE - The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation is joining the Tennessee Department of Health to encourage Tennesseans and private water well owners in the state to observe National Ground Water Awareness Week, March 8-14.
Sponsored by the National Ground Water Association in partnership with the Centers for Disease Controland the Environmental Protection Agency, National Ground Water Awareness Week highlights the importance of the state's underground water resources. It also is designed to raise awareness among private water well owners on the importance of yearly testing and proper well maintenance to prevent illness.
"Many Tennesseans rely on ground water from aquifers that supply private water wells," said Robert Foster, director of TDEC's Division of Water Supply. "However, the EPA's safety requirements for public drinking water systems do not apply to private wells, and it is the responsibility of private water well owners to ensure their water is safe from contaminants."
According to the Department of Health, at least three cases of waterborne illness related to the consumption of well water have been investigated in Tennessee since 2007. Recommendations to well owners include testing private water supplies annually for bacteria. In some areas where karst or limestone geology predominates, filtration through the earth is not effective; continuous purifying treatment such as home purification, distillers or chlorinating systems are often necessary for drinking water to be reliably free of contamination.
According to Foster, Tennessee contains beautiful streams, rivers and lakes, and protecting the state's unseen ground water system also is important. Regional aquifers are large bodies of hidden underground water and supply a substantial amount of the state's public and private drinking water.
"Memphis is one of the largest cities in the world relying exclusively on ground water for its public water supply," added Foster. "The ground water drawn from the Memphis and Fort Pillow aquifers is some of the highest quality drinking water in the nation. It's important to both understand and protect our state's most valuable resources."
Tennesseans can do their part in promoting good stewardship of the state's ground water by properly maintaining their home septic systems and any abandoned wells they own and through proper storage and the appropriate disposal of hazardous household waste, including common products such as gasoline, oil, paints, fertilizers, pesticides and cleaning products.
For more information on the readily available resources for well owners and drillers, please visit the Division of Water Supply's Web site at: http://www.tn.gov/environment/dws/WWregprog.shtml#uic. The Web site contains several program links, including the list of Licensed Tennessee Well Drillers and Installers and the Tennessee Healthy Well Manual.
For questions about ground water protection, please contact the Division of Water Supply at (615) 532-0191 or e-mail ask.tdec@state.tn.us. Information about National Ground Water Awareness Week can also be found on EPA's Web site at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/groundwaterawareness.
Sponsored by the National Ground Water Association in partnership with the Centers for Disease Controland the Environmental Protection Agency, National Ground Water Awareness Week highlights the importance of the state's underground water resources. It also is designed to raise awareness among private water well owners on the importance of yearly testing and proper well maintenance to prevent illness.
"Many Tennesseans rely on ground water from aquifers that supply private water wells," said Robert Foster, director of TDEC's Division of Water Supply. "However, the EPA's safety requirements for public drinking water systems do not apply to private wells, and it is the responsibility of private water well owners to ensure their water is safe from contaminants."
According to the Department of Health, at least three cases of waterborne illness related to the consumption of well water have been investigated in Tennessee since 2007. Recommendations to well owners include testing private water supplies annually for bacteria. In some areas where karst or limestone geology predominates, filtration through the earth is not effective; continuous purifying treatment such as home purification, distillers or chlorinating systems are often necessary for drinking water to be reliably free of contamination.
According to Foster, Tennessee contains beautiful streams, rivers and lakes, and protecting the state's unseen ground water system also is important. Regional aquifers are large bodies of hidden underground water and supply a substantial amount of the state's public and private drinking water.
"Memphis is one of the largest cities in the world relying exclusively on ground water for its public water supply," added Foster. "The ground water drawn from the Memphis and Fort Pillow aquifers is some of the highest quality drinking water in the nation. It's important to both understand and protect our state's most valuable resources."
Tennesseans can do their part in promoting good stewardship of the state's ground water by properly maintaining their home septic systems and any abandoned wells they own and through proper storage and the appropriate disposal of hazardous household waste, including common products such as gasoline, oil, paints, fertilizers, pesticides and cleaning products.
For more information on the readily available resources for well owners and drillers, please visit the Division of Water Supply's Web site at: http://www.tn.gov/environment/dws/WWregprog.shtml#uic. The Web site contains several program links, including the list of Licensed Tennessee Well Drillers and Installers and the Tennessee Healthy Well Manual.
For questions about ground water protection, please contact the Division of Water Supply at (615) 532-0191 or e-mail ask.tdec@state.tn.us. Information about National Ground Water Awareness Week can also be found on EPA's Web site at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/groundwaterawareness.