UGA Cooperative Extension is a collaboration between UGA CAES and UGA FACS.
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Our Impact
An estimated 1.7 million people in Georgia rely on 640,000 private wells for their drinking water supply. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division enforces EPA's drinking water quality standards for human consumption in public water supplies according to the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act. However, private wells are not regulated. Consequently, private well water users are responsible for ensuring the quality and safety of their drinking water supplies by periodic testing, evaluation, and corrective action (if needed). The UGA Agricultural and Environmental Services Laboratories (AESL) has been operating a drinking water testing and education program for many years. After receiving test results, the well owners invariably seek help from the water specialists, UGA Cooperative Extension agents, or water treatment professionals for unbiased interpretations of their water test results and appropriate recommendations. So the lab created an online tool using the information about all primary and secondary drinking water contaminants, and made it available on line. This tool allows the Extension agents, water treatment professionals, and private well owners to receive instant interpretations and recommendations for drinking water quality based on the test results received from a water testing laboratory. The tool is very user friendly; the user enters the test results into the online form, and the interpretation and necessary recommendations are given upon submission.This tool is also helping the private water testing laboratories, especially those without a water specialist for consultations. It is also very helpful for the water treatment professionals to decide about the appropriate water treatment systems based on water test results.
