Rhode Island Private Well Owners Take Action to Protect 

Their Drinking Water

Alyson McCann, Water Quality Program CoordinatorUniversity of Rhode Island ExtensionCollege of the Environment and Life SciencesDept. of Natural Resources Sciencealyson@uri.edu 401.874.5398

71st SWCS International Annual Conference, July 24 – 27, 2016, Lousiville, KY

Presentation Topics• Overview of Rhode Island situation and our audience• Program approach and resources• Impacts & lessons learned

Targeted Program OutcomesRhode Island private well owners will:• Regularly have their drinking water tested at a state‐certified lab.

• Take additional action to protect their drinking water.

Rhode Island Situation• 15% of RI population rely on private wells (~ 150,000+ people)• Private well owners are responsible for regular routine testing and maintenance

• Many lack the resources and knowledge to make informed decisions to protect their drinking water

• Continuous need to educate and provide technical assistance

• RI Dept. of Health regulates private well testing at property transfer & new well installation(2008 regulation, www.health.ri.gov/programs/privatewell )

Where do RI private well owners live?

Blue = areas serviced by private wells  Portions or all of 30 of 39 communities

Know Our Audience Ask Our Audience

Our Approach

What do we know?RI Private Well Owners• > 95% Caucasian• 50% female : 50% male• Median age: 40• > 60% Married• ~ 30% Married with children < 18• ~ 80% Owner‐occupied housing• Per capita income $22,000 ‐ $38,000• 85% +  have high school diploma • ~ 30%  have college degree• ~ 70% born in RI (* Source: 2014 U.S. Census)

What else do we know about our audience?• Testing is perceived as expensive & inconvenient• The steps to test water are perceived as complex and 

time consuming – following directions, understanding results, deciding if treatment is necessary

• There’s an awareness that “Clean water is important”, but a disconnect between this awareness and testing

• Well owners need assistance to solve drinking water quality problems 

(* Source: phone interviews and focus groups with RI private well owners, 2009 ‐ 2016)

Who do we work with?Program partners are key to success • URI Extension Water Quality Program • RI Department of Health• Local Municipalities, Agencies and Organizations• RI Department of Environmental Management• State‐certified laboratories• Public Water Suppliers• RI Ground Water Association• Health Literacy Expert • Graphic Designer 

Program Approach• Community Workshops & Testing• Individual Assistance • Community Intercept Campaign• 28 consumer‐friendly, audience‐testedTip Sheets 

• Email newsletters, social media• Website – riwelltesting.org

http://www.joe.org/joe/2015april/pdf/JOE_v53_2tt4.pdf

Intercept Campaign• Conducted by trained undergraduate students, facilitated and managed by graduate student

• 2015 • Attended 38 events in areas serviced by private wells• Interacted with more than 900 private well owners

• 2016 • 16 events • 715 private well owners

Evaluation and Impact• Community Workshops: 10 – 12 annually in targeted areas

• 40 families / workshop• 45% of workshop attendees participate in facilitated 

testing (2014 – present)

http://www.joe.org/joe/2012february/rb7.php

Facilitated Well Water Testing• Motivation to update & audience test sample collection procedures and order form for RI Dept. of Health Private Well Water Program.

• Developed template• Conducted phone interviews• Conducted usability testing of Annual Test Kit instructions in May, 2016

• Piloted Annual Test Kit instructions at July, 2016 workshop

• Final product:  7 instruction sheets & 1 order form 

Workshop Impacts 2004 ‐ 2015

April 2016

Survey results indicate that workshop participants take action to protect their private drinking water wells.

2009 Survey*

2011 Survey**

2012 Survey***

2013 Survey ****

2014 Survey *****

2015 Survey ******

1. Had well water tested and/or addressed water system maintenance % had well water tested 51 44 56 33 75 76 % located the well 28 30 24 22 25 41 % conducted a wellhead inspection 71 70 76 55 68 77 % had a water treatment system installed 22 13 16 0 18 14 % had maintenance performed on the water treatment system 22 25 20 22 24 17

2. Adopted practices for water quality protection % had septic system pumped or inspected 45 35 24 22 27 24 % took household hazardous waste to a hazardous waste collection 58 31 24 22 24 31 % began using non-toxic alternatives to household hazardous waste 38 33 36 44 23 23 % disposed of used motor oil in the oil igloo at the dump/transfer station 36 25 36

11

10

14

% who are pet owners relocated and/or removed pet(s) or their waste from area around well 65 53 66

11

19

24

% changed the use of fertilizers and pesticides around the well 15 21 16 11 15 14 % installed backflow prevention on outdoor faucets 3 0 8 0 6 6

3. Requested more information or shared what they learned

% shared workshop information with others 54 53 53 77 49 67

% contacted either the RI Department of Health or URI after the workshop for more information 87 60 44

33

Question removed from

survey

69 *Mailed 656 surveys to people who attended workshop 9/2004 – 6/2009. 28% return rate **Mailed 245 surveys to people who attended workshop 9/2010 – 6/2011. 33% return rate. ***Mailed 70 surveys to people who attended workshop 1/2012 – 12/2012. 35% return rate. **** Mailed 31 surveys to people who attended workshop 9/2013 – 12/2013. 29% return rate. ***** Mailed 132 surveys to people who attended workshop 1/2014 – 12/2014. 62% return rate. ****** Mailed 155 surveys to people who attended workshop 1/2015 – 12/2015. 45% return rate

Lessons LearnedSingle‐session workshops with supporting materials can result in private well owners:

• Testing private drinking water wells• Contacting resource experts for additional assistance• Sharing information with others• Adopting BMPs to protect drinking water quality

Conclusion• Educational programs, technical assistance and community intercept campaigns can affectively impact private well water testing and protection

• Partnerships are critical for success• Continue to strengthen Program, build on successes• Adapt Program based on lessons learned from local case studies & audience feedback

Thank you