Where: Chelan County, Washington
Problem: Rural homeowners often rely on private water supplies for their drinking water, such as those from wells on small lots adjacent to farms and fields. Well owners are responsible for ensuring that the supply is adequate and safe.
Solution: Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) provided a free site inspection, education and water quality test to a small family.
Located in the foothills of central Washington’s Cascade Mountains, Chelan County is famous for its Bavarian-themed tourist attractions and agricultural production. Unincorporated residents must often rely on private water supplies, such as those from wells on small lots near agriculture fields, for their drinking water.
A local family grew concerned about well water quality after detecting elevated nitrate levels on their property using an aquarium test strip kit. Their home is located in a gully nestled adjacent to apple and pear orchards. The family worried their infant child could be exposed to severe and possibly fatal risks, so they began to drink and cook with bottled water.
The father eventually learned about Rural Community Assistance Corporation’s (RCAC) Free Drinking Water Well Assessment provided through the Individual Well Program. Since 2016, RCAC has provided education and training to well owners in the rural West to help them maintain their wells as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) “Improving Water Quality through Training & Technical Assistance to Private Well Owners” Project.
RCAC Rural Development Specialist Miles Rinne arrived in Chelan in December 2021 to conduct the private well assessment. Rinne verified that nitrate concentrations exceeded the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 10 milligrams per liter. Rinne and the homeowners suspect that nearby agriculture fields – which require inputs such as fertilizers, insecticides and pesticides – may be the source of nitrate contamination.
The family opted to have a reverse osmosis water filter installed by a local well-drilling service following a discussion of treatment options. They remain impressed by the level of service RCAC provided and recommend the Free Drinking Water Well Assessment to friends, coworkers and neighbors at every opportunity.
