On December 4, 2005, a petition was formally submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 10, Seattle, requesting that agency to designate the Troutdale and Unconsolidated Alluvium Aquifer System in Clark County, Washington, as a Sole Source Aquifer. The EPA defines the Sole Source Aquifer Program as a tool used to protect drinking water supplies in areas with few or no alternative sources to groundwater resources, and where if contamination occurred, using an alternative source for the potable water supply would be extremely expensive.
Posts under ‘Wells/Drinking Water’
Workshop on Septic Tanks and Private Wells – January 21, 2004
Materials collected from workshop on Septic Tanks and Private Wells
Intro:
We attended a special workshop for homeowners on how to properly maintain septic systems and private wells on their property, how to prevent costly repairs, and how to protect drinking water from contamination. This workshop was presentd by the Washington State University Cooperative Extension and Clark County Health Department, and it was sponsored by Clark County Clean Water Program, and Clark Conservation District.
Test Your Well Water! Monitor Your Septic Tanks! & Human Health Risks from Exposure to Contaminated Water!
Well water quality is just as important as quantity, but easier to overlook. There is rarely a clear signal when microorganisms, nitrates, pesticides or VOG’s (volatile organic compounds) contaminate well water. Yet these contaminates do make their way into private wells. Homeowners who choose the “blinders” approach, assuming that their well water is OK, are taking a gamble with their health. The potential risks are kidney and nervous system damage, intestinal illness, cancer and birth defects. According to a US Geological Survey, many wells in Clark County and Vancouver were tested and found to contain contaminates.
