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NGWA to study private water well owner outreach for CDC

Jan. 26, 2015, Westerville, OH – The
National Ground Water Association will study the
effectiveness of public awareness outreach to private water well owners
for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Jan. 26, 2015, Westerville, OH – The
National Ground Water Association will study the
effectiveness of public awareness outreach to private water well owners
for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The goal is to better understand the elements
of public outreach that are effective in motivating well owners to act
in ways that protect their water quality and health, said a news release from the association.

Under a US $78,358 CDC grant, NGWA’s project has two major parts:

1. An extensive literature search and analysis by the Ohio State
   University College of Public Health to distill what published literature
   reveals about effective outreach to water well owners.
2. Interviews by NGWA and the Water Quality Association with managers
   of well owner outreach programs to learn from their perspectives and
   experiences.

“Private well owners are a widely dispersed
group of people that reach into mostly rural areas of every state,” said
Cliff Treyens, NGWA public awareness director, in the release. “Historically, the
challenge has been not only to reach them but to do so with information
and messages that move them to act in ways that protect their water
quality and health.”

Ohio State University is in the process of doing its literature
search and analysis now. The interviews by NGWA and Water Quality Association are expected to
take place in the spring.

“While there are many organizations involved
in trying to educate people who own water wells for their drinking water
supply, motivating them to stay on top of their water quality remains a
difficult task,” said Treyens. “Our goal for this project is to gain
greater insight into how to help well owners.”