Details:

Corporate Authors:
National Center for Environmental Health (U.S.)
Description:
Safer Well Water through Stronger Public Health Programs

Learn how CDC works with health departments to protect communities from unsafe well water.

The Issue:

• About 1 in 9 Americans get their drinking water from a private well.

• Germs, chemicals, or radionuclides can impact wells and other private drinking water sources.

• About 1 in 5 sampled private wells had contaminants at levels that could affect health.

Making Programs Stronger

Safe WATCH works with well water programs at health departments to help them improve their services, like

• Investigating common contaminants that can affect health.

• Educating well owners about testing their water and interpreting test results.

• Linking homeowners with services, treatment systems, and other resources to make their water safer.

• Partnering with labs, well drillers, universities, and others.

Safe WATCH Grantees Improve Services

CDC Safe WATCH helps health departments strengthen and improve their programs by

• Identifying gaps in their program using the 10 Essential Environmental Public Health Services.

• Taking actions to close gaps and reduce exposures to contaminants.

To address gaps in the Assure Competent Workforce essential service, LaCrosse County (WI)

• Collected ~3,000 water samples.

• Certified staff to test for arsenic and lead using new lab testing equipment.

To address gaps in the Monitor Health essential service, Gaston County (NC)

Digitized ~8,000 well permits.

Geocoded 97% of their well permits using new equipment.

To address gaps in the Inform, Educate, and Empower essential service, Madison County (NY)

• Conducted >200 well assessments and found ~40% of wells had bacterial contamination.

• Educated owners about test results, risks, and how to protect their water.

To address gaps in the Develop Policies essential service, New Mexico

• Created a policy for tagging and tracking newly constructed wells.

• Purchased and marketed ~3,000 tags for voluntary tagging of pre-existing wells.

Learn more: www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/safe-watch.

Publication date from document properties.

safe-watch-infographic-H.pdf


Subjects:
[+]
Anniversaries And Special Events Drinking Water Groundwater Water Supply
Series:
National Ground Water Awareness Week
Document Type:
Poster
Name as Subject:
National Ground Water Awareness Week ; National Ground Water Awareness Week
National Ground Water Awareness Week ; National Ground Water Awareness Week Less -
Genre:
Infographic
Collection(s):
Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library collection
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:38bc0848dcb67db1a4f4e731b444e89c8f4abc757de448550ffa56813886d1e7
Download URL:
https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/52432/cdc_52432_DS1.pdf
File Type:

Supporting Files

• No Additional Files

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