Well Being (Minnesota Well Owners Organization)
In 2019, University of Minnesota Extension launched a free in-person course on early detection and prevention of contamination for well and septic owners. It has since presented it to more than 600 participants. The next phase of the initiative—funded in part by a 2022-2023 New Technologies for Ag Extension grant—is to develop an online version to make the class more widely available and convenient. The virtual classes had not launched as of fall 2023 because of staffing capacity, but UMN Extension officials say the need is still there. Program organizers say that the “Minnesota Well and Septic Owners Class” (MWSOC) could be a template for other states with a similar reliance on private wells and that the next version reflects lessons they learned as they developed and delivered seminars. LESSON 1: Create a big-picture unified narrative. When the well and septic team started delivering this work- shop, it learned that fewer than 50 percent of well owners had tested their water quality in the previous 10 years or even knew when it was last tested. So, at the highest level, the message this course needs to send consistently is that well owners are responsible for assessing the risk and ensuring the safety of their systems either through their own resources or programs and funding available at the local, state, or federal level. LESSON 2: Recognize geographic differences. While the narrative around keeping well and septic systems safe needs to be standard across regions, it’s also import- ant to take regional variations in soil, bedrock, aquifers, and pollution sensitivity into consideration. LESSON 3: Bring it home. One of the biggest objectives of a course like this needs to be helping well owners “ensure safe drinking water at the kitchen sink,” says Jeffrey S. Broberg, director of the Minne- sota Well Owners Organization (MNWOO). “Our early focus on source water protection and pollution prevention failed because people often thought we were looking for someone to blame and that we were identifying regulatory targets for bad drinking water.” But when people realize immediately that the water coming out of the tap is contam- inated, they’re more likely to be open to an assessment that traces the contamination back to its problematic source.
of Minnesota counties require septic inspection only at property transfer 71%
21%
of Minnesotans drink from private wells
40%
50% of Minnesota well owners have tested their water recently
of Minnesota wells contain arsenic
LESSON 4: Assemble public and private partners. To develop the most effective curriculum, the well and sep- tic system team discovered that it’s important to have input from these sectors—each resonating in a different way with participants: Government —public health, soil and water conservation districts, land use/zoning Education —adult education institutions Commerce —well drillers, water systems service providers, septic installer and service providers, water quality labs, and water treatment providers Nonprofit —industry associations like MNWOO Signs of Success Anecdotal evidence from in-person classes—which include water sample testing—has given the team confidence that well owners are eager to do what’s necessary to ensure that the state’s well water is safe, Brogerg says. “One of our par- ticipants brought water samples from his well and his neigh- bors’ wells. He said, ‘I know my water is good because we test it all the time. But I’m concerned for my neighbors, who have young children and old wells. I worry that those little girls have safe water.’ We were gratified to learn that his motivation was simply to care for his neighbors.” ■
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