In rural communities, access to quality drinking water is usually the responsibility of the property owner. Many rural residents are unaware of contamination risks, and drink water that is unsafe. Many put water supplies at risk unknowingly through household practices related to sewage and waste disposal, fuel storage, etc.

 

This project seeks to engage rural homeowners in outreach and education leading to adoption of practices that protect the quality and quantity of drinking water sources essential to the health of rural communities.

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The goals of protecting drinking water quality and ensuring long-term access to safe drinking water will be met through the objectives of educating rural residents on water quality and quantity issues, and engaging them in source water protection and water conservation. The goal of improving community health by reducing consumption of unsafe drinking water will be pursued through the objectives of assessing drinking water quality in rural residences, providing guidance on solutions to water quality issues identified, and by working with municipal governments toward access to safe drinking water for rural residents with contaminated private water supplies.

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*** At this time there is no additional funding to support this project. Our educational resources developed for the project are available on this page or in hard copy through the office.