Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, February 9, 1995                   TAG: 9502090055
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-10   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

STUDIES EVALUATE NATION'S WELL WATER

To find out, scientists have conducted two nationwide well water studies. They tested the water from thousands of rural and community wells to predict the water quality of all wells in the country. These well studies represent the most extensive evaluation ever undertaken.

The Environmental Protection Agency National Survey of Pesticides in Drinking Water Wells was a five-year, $12 million study of more than 1,300 wells in every state. It included information about each well's condition and characteristics and nearby use of agricultural chemicals and fertilizers. Well water both from community water systems and rural domestic wells was tested. These tests could detect the presence of pesticides thousands of times lower than their EPA lifetime safe consumption levels.

Nitrates were the most commonly detected contaminants. The EPA estimates that more than half the nation's wells contain nitrates from many natural and man-made sources, and about 1.2 percent of community wells and 2.4 percent of rural wells have levels that might pose a risk to public health. In the 1992 Cooperative Extension Study of drinking water wells in Montgomery County, 2 percent of the wells tested had nitrate levels exceeding established standards.

Pesticide traces also were detected, but only infrequently. Of the 126 pesticides and their breakdown products the study looked for, 12 were detected. The popular corn herbicide atrazine and breakdown products of dacthal accounted for most of the pesticide detections in the study. Dacthal is a commonly used herbicide in suburban and rural areas, used to control weeds in lawns and gardens, but not for grain crops.

The Montgomery County study tested for 18 commonly used pesticides that also have a higher potential for ground water contamination. Twenty-six households considered to be most vulnerable to pesticide contamination were tested. Four households had detectable levels of two insecticides, heptachlor (banned in 1984) and methoxychlor (a common garden insecticide). All of the detected samples were well below EPA health advisory levels.

From the national study, EPA estimates that about 90 percent of America's 95,000 community water systems and 96 percent of our 10.5 million rural domestic wells are free of measurable traces of any pesticide. Most important, they estimate that more than 99 percent of all wells in the country contain no pesticide traces exceeding the EPA standards for safe drinking water.

The National Alachlor Well Water Survey tested 1,430 wells in 89 counties of 26 states. From these samples, Monsanto scientists projected the occurrences of contamination for the estimated six million rural domestic wells, serving about 20 million people in 45 agricultural regions.

Five major herbicides and nitrate nitrogen were studied closely. The results supported the conclusions of the EPA nationwide well water study. Monsanto scientists predict that 87 percent of the estimated six million wells in the surveyed area should be completely free of any detectable levels of these herbicides. Better yet, 99.9 percent of those wells should have no herbicide levels exceeding the EPA standards for safe drinking water.

Is Your Water Safe?

National studies suggest our country's well water is safe to drink. In most areas of this country, detection of pollutants is infrequent and pollutants low in concentration. Even so, contamination of wells can be prevented.

You can help protect water quality by following sound practices to store, handle and use pesticides, fertilizers, and other toxic chemicals. Lots of people test wells for various potential contaminants: Fuel leaks from underground storage, excessive bacteria and nutrients from leaking septic systems or manure lagoons, broken pipes or pesticides.

If you believe there's reason to suspect contamination of your well, you can get well testing information from your state Department of Health, from private testing labs and from Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Joe Hunnings is the Virginia Cooperative Extension agent for agriculture in the Montgomery County Extension Office in Christiansburg. If you have questions, call him at 382-5790.