| dc.description.abstract |
Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, public water sources must be monitored for contaminants;
and the results are made public. However, this Act does not cover private wells,
leaving a significant portion of the population unprotected. In one rural Georgia
county, Washington, an estimated 3,997 wells are currently in use. Local health officials
believe that well contamination is a problem for the people using these wells. The
purpose of this project was to take the available data and briefly assess the state-of-affairs
for the county. After researching topics unique to Washington County and determining
potential sources of well water contamination, aluminum, silica, manganese, total
and fecal coliform bacteria, pH, and hardness were chosen for assessment. Despite
limitations in the data, this study filled an important knowledge gap for Washington
County in that no analysis had been conducted of the available data. For the parameters
tested, it was concluded that Washington County well owners were not facing a significant
health threat. Additionally, differences in contaminant levels among soil type and
year of sample were not significant. The most important problem currently facing
the county is lack of data. Washington County must begin to test wells more frequently
to better assess contaminants of concern and to focus education and remediation efforts.
|
|
