Abstract
Private Well Pilot Study to Advance Drinking Water Safety in Massachusetts
APHA 2022 Annual Meeting and Expo
Background: To address high rates of well-water contaminants in North Central Massachusetts, where private well testing and remediation rates are relatively low, and to inform the passage of statewide private well regulations (currently, MA has no statewide private well regulations), RCAP Solutions received funding to design and evaluate a program that provided household education, well assessment, and water quality testing free-of-charge to a limited number of residents.
Methods: RCAP Solutions selected a purposive sample of 6 towns; and enrolled 240 households, 40 from each town, to participate in the pilot study. More than 80% of participating households completed both a pre- and post-questionnaire that assessed changes in knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to private well safety. The evaluation also tracked well assessment and water testing results, household program satisfaction, proportion of wells tested by town, and town-specific private well regulations.
Results: Program implementation was associated with improved beliefs favoring well safety; and some knowledge and practice improvements. Only 5% reported having a well assessment as recent as one year ago. About 40% of wells assessed did not meet well construction standards; 27% of households had levels of contaminants exceeding public drinking water health-based limits and suggesting health risks; and towns with the strictest private well regulations tended to have lower percentages of households with contaminated well water. Half the households receiving reports of contaminated drinking water reported paying for well remediation afterward.
Conclusions: By increasing access to private well inspection and water testing, RCAP Solutions encouraged residents to make changes to reduce contamination and protect their health; and learned more about the scope of private well contamination in parts of the state. Findings support the need for statewide regulations that require well assessment and water testing and an awareness campaign to enhance understanding of routine private well water testing.