Harrison County community members recently attended a water safety workshop where the Institute of Water Security and Science and the Interdisciplinary Hydrology Laboratory at West Virginia University held an informational event. (Photo Provided)
Kaylyn Gootman, postdoctoral research associate with West Virginia University, conducted a workshop in Harrison County to educate people about clean drinking water. Events will also be held in Doddridge, Ritchie and Tyler counties. (Photo Provided)
Kaylyn Gootman, postdoctoral research associate with West Virginia University, conducted a workshop in Harrison County to educate people about clean drinking water. Events will also be held in Doddridge, Ritchie and Tyler counties. (Photo Provided)
HARRISVILLE — Six counties in the region will have the opportunity to test drinking water with upcoming events coordinated by West Virginia University.
So far, Marion, Harrison and Tyler county residents received test kits during an informative session about water quality. Doddridge, Ritchie and Wetzel county community members will have their chance in the coming weeks.
The program is offered by the Institute of Water Security and Science and the Interdisciplinary Hydrology Laboratory at WVU and Kaylyn Gootman, postdoctoral research associate, said it was possible because of grants.
“We really wanted to develop a free drinking water testing program and community outreach to talk about the importance of human health and environmental quality,” she said.
“We got some grant funds (which) gave us the money to support this program. Our goal has been to target six counties in North Central West Virginia.”
Harrison County community members recently attended a water safety workshop where the Institute of Water Security and Science and the Interdisciplinary Hydrology Laboratory at West Virginia University held an informational event. (Photo Provided)
Gootman said 42 percent of the population in the state rely on water from a well which is three times higher than the national average.
“Well water is not covered by the Safe Drinking Water Act, it’s the responsibility of the owner to test the water and maintain the well. We learned that not a lot of people know that,” she said.
The events will involve a two-hour workshop where information will be shared and people will have the opportunity to ask questions.
“We want to learn from different communities and different people. We’re wanting to learn the perception of drinking water, it’s important as researchers,” Gootman said. “They’ll leave our program with the test kit to collect a water sample (and a) prepaid postage kit.”
Samples will be mailed to a lab and tested with 55 to 60 permeates to assess the quality and results will be sent back.
“We’re not there to tell them what they need to do. It’s just so they have the information and they have the power to make the decision for them and their family,” Gootman said.
The Doddridge County event will be Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon at the Doddridge County Park main building. The Ritchie County workshop will be March 26 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Ritchie County 4-H Camp Large Assembly Hall and the Tyler County event will be April 9 from 10 a.m. to noon at Mollohan Center.
Candice Black can be reached at [email protected].
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