WATER WELLS CONTAMINATED
Tests reveal problems with private water wells

Many of the private wells that provide drinking water to residents of Potter and Cameron counties are contaminated.

Results of extensive testing on hundreds of wells will be released in the next few weeks. They'll confirm the presence of numerous contaminants. What will happen next is unclear.

Preliminary results are already in for McKean County, where almost 70 percent of wells tested were found to contain excessive total coliform bacteria. There have also been findings of e coli, acidity, total dissolved solids, arsenic, nitrate, chloride and barium.

Once all of the results are in from the three counties, it will be up to county officials to determine what to do. Those actions could take a longterm public health study, a public education campaign to encourage residents

to monitor and protect their wells, or a county ordinance regulating well drilling.

Total coliform bacteria originates as organisms in soil or vegetation and in the intestinal tract of warm-blooded animals (fecal coli). It has long been an indicator of the contamination of water and possible presence of intestinal parasites and pathogens.

Some of the sources of bacterial pollution include runoff from woodlands, pastures and feedlots; septic tanks and sewage plants; droppings from animals and wild fowl or decaying animals.

More than 1 million private water wells in Pennsylvania serve 3.5 million people in rural areas, with about 20,000 new wells drilled each year.

"Private wells don't have to meet the standards and regulations that public water systems do," said Penn State Cooperative Extension Educator Jim Clark. "They (private well owners) have no legal standing if they are trying to prove somebody contaminated their well, unless they have test results available to compare."

Some of the contamination, chloride and barium in particular, could be related to oil and natural gas well drilling, Clark added.

In advance of any action by county officials, the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford's Science in Motion program has already agreed to design a module to help schools teach children about water quality.

McKean County Commissioner Bruce Burdick said the situation is more serious than many people realize.

"Who knows the subtle impact it's having on attendance in our workforce or with health bills related to emergency visits, especially for those people with intestinal diseases?" Burdick said.