What’s in Your Water: The State of Drinking Water Quality in Private Wells

Water Quality of Private Wells and Household Drinking Water Systems  –An estimated 13.5 million households in the United States rely on private wells as their primary source of drinking water. Under the Safe Water Drinking Act, private wells are not regulated. In Coastal Georgia, a rapidly growing region in the USA, one in every six households is on private wells. Aging water infrastructure is known to be a reservoir for pathogen growth through biofilm formation, offering microorganisms nutrients for survival and protection from environmental stressors such as disinfectants and high temperatures. This project aims to identify chemical and waterborne pathogens in private wells in rural Georgia and define barriers and facilitators of their water stewardship behaviors.  With generous donations from Evans County CARES Foundation, this project has supported water quality research in rural agricultural parts of Georgia. The results of this study have been instrumental in developing targeted interventions to protect communities from hazards associated with groundwater contamination in private wells and household distribution systems. Students had opportunities to practice research and community engagement skills and two doctoral dissertations have been completed through this project so far.What’s in Your Water: The State of Drinking Water Quality in Evans County

Last updated: 2/8/2024