Concern grows over aging rural water wells
Posted: Tuesday, September 26, 2006
TOETERVILLE, Iowa (AP) -- Concern is growing over drinking water in many unincorporated towns and rural homes where old water wells are testing positive for contaminates such as coliform and nitrates.
In Toeterville, in northern Iowa's Mitchell County, three of the small town's wells also tested positive for E. Coli. The town's 52 residents in 22 homes get water from private wells.
The problem goes far beyond Toeterville.
Substandard drinking water is a problem for many rural residents, officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources said.
Older wells are often too shallow, have cracked casings and other flaws that create problems. When treating the well with chlorine fails, the only solution may be a new well, officials said.
Brian Hanft, an environmental health service manager for North Central Iowa Regional Inspections Division, said property owners often must form associations to pay for the initial costs, testing and ongoing maintenance of new wells.
There also are other challenges facing residents who want to put in new wells, Hanft said.
A residential well must be 50 feet from septic tanks and 100 feet from a leach field, while a public water supply system must be 200 feet from a leach field.
Churches, campgrounds, restaurants, swimming pools, lounges, golf courses are all considered to be places that would be served by a public well.
In the nine-county North Iowa area, Hanft said there are 17 rural churches required to meet the standards for public water.
"I certainly don't believe we have identified all, and that is a public safety issue," he said.
Drilling a well for public use also carries additional expenses. The cost of design, construction, an annual operating permit and testing can be more than $2,500.
Those costs aren't setting well with some local officials.
"That all costs money that a lot of these small, rural churches don't have," said Mitchell County Supervisor Stan Walk. "I feel the DNR is trying to shove this down the throats of small churches that should never fall into the public category.
"And there is no money out there, no programs, to help ease the burden," he said.
Hanft and Steve Hopkins, water operations program supervisor for the DNR, said there is no government funding to offset the costs of drilling private or public wells.
"But that does not change the law or the public health concern," Hopkins said.
In Toeterville, in northern Iowa's Mitchell County, three of the small town's wells also tested positive for E. Coli. The town's 52 residents in 22 homes get water from private wells.
The problem goes far beyond Toeterville.
Substandard drinking water is a problem for many rural residents, officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources said.
Older wells are often too shallow, have cracked casings and other flaws that create problems. When treating the well with chlorine fails, the only solution may be a new well, officials said.
Brian Hanft, an environmental health service manager for North Central Iowa Regional Inspections Division, said property owners often must form associations to pay for the initial costs, testing and ongoing maintenance of new wells.
There also are other challenges facing residents who want to put in new wells, Hanft said.
A residential well must be 50 feet from septic tanks and 100 feet from a leach field, while a public water supply system must be 200 feet from a leach field.
Churches, campgrounds, restaurants, swimming pools, lounges, golf courses are all considered to be places that would be served by a public well.
In the nine-county North Iowa area, Hanft said there are 17 rural churches required to meet the standards for public water.
"I certainly don't believe we have identified all, and that is a public safety issue," he said.
Drilling a well for public use also carries additional expenses. The cost of design, construction, an annual operating permit and testing can be more than $2,500.
Those costs aren't setting well with some local officials.
"That all costs money that a lot of these small, rural churches don't have," said Mitchell County Supervisor Stan Walk. "I feel the DNR is trying to shove this down the throats of small churches that should never fall into the public category.
"And there is no money out there, no programs, to help ease the burden," he said.
Hanft and Steve Hopkins, water operations program supervisor for the DNR, said there is no government funding to offset the costs of drilling private or public wells.
"But that does not change the law or the public health concern," Hopkins said.
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