Groundwater Awareness Week begins on Sunday.

One-fifth of Iowans (about 206,000 people) use private wells, and many of these wells contain water with unsafe levels of bacteria. During Groundwater Awareness Week, private well owners are encouraged to have their well water tested.

The testing is paid for under the Grants-to-Counties Well Program if an Iowa DNR approved laboratory does the testing.

The Grants-to-Counties Well Program also provides some reimbursement for plugging and renovating private wells or cisterns.

There are an estimated 200,000 abandoned wells and cisterns in Iowa. If not plugged, these wells can leach contamination into the groundwater.

Read more about Groundwater Awareness Week in The Gazette’s article here.

For more information about private wells, check out the Iowa DNR’s page here.