FIGURE 1
Top 10 Contaminants of Concern Reported by Funding Recipients ( N = 19)
1 8
1 6
1 6
1 4
1 2
1 2
1 1
1 0
1 0
9
0 2 4 6 8
7
7
5
5
4
Fluoride
Cop p er
Arsenic
B acteriological M anganese
N itrates/ N itrite
L ead
Sodium PFAS ( PFOA/ PFOS)
Radionucelides ( U ranium, Radium Radon)
Contaminants of Concern
Note. PFAS = per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances; PFOS = perfluorooctanoic acid; PFOS = perfluorooctanesulfonic acid.
TABLE 1
Fact Sheets Developed by Funding Recipients to Inform Well Owners About Contaminants of Concern in Their Communities
Topic
Link
Arsenic
www.azdhs.gov/documents/preparedness/epidemiology-disease-control/environmental-toxicology/well-water/arsenic.pdf www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/deq-wd-gws-wcu-coliformbactiwellwatersampling_270604_7.pdf www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/HealthyEnvironments/DrinkingWater/Monitoring/Documents/health/lead.pdf https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/Departments-and-Agencies/DPH/dph/environmental_health/eoha/pdf/24ResidentialDrinkingWaterWellTesti ngpdf.pdf?la=en
Coliform bacteria
Lead
Manganese
Nitrates
www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/deq-wd-gws-ciu-nitratebrochure_270430_7.pdf
3. manganese, 4. nitrates, and 5. lead.
consult with external partners (e.g., private businesses, universities, cooperative exten- sions) to address treatment options. These partnerships were vital to improving access to safe water in these jurisdictions. Fact Sheets and App Helped Well Owners Understand Water Quality Test Results During their 5 years of private well activi- ties, many funding recipients developed fact sheets on the contaminants a ecting their
communities. The fact sheets were used to inform and enable well owners to make their drinking water safer (Table 1). They provided these fact sheets at well owner workshops, during outreach events such as state fairs, and on their websites. Many funding recipients also applied to partner with Be Well Informed (www.bewel- linformed.info/about). This free tool, designed by the Environmental Council of the States, is an open-access web application that helps pri- vate well owners understand their water qual-
These exit interviews also detailed how funding recipients handled challenges to providing water treatment recommenda- tions to private well owners. Recipients said they did not always have the expertise to answer technical questions from well own- ers about treatment options and whether their wells could be improved. In these situ- ations, recipients referred well owners to
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March 2023 • Journal of Environmental Health
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