Symposium will Address Drinking Water Contaminants
Contact: Laura Wilson, 207-581-2971; Alyson McCann, 401-874-5398
PORTSMOUTH, N.H.–University of Maine Cooperative Extension will sponsor a
symposium on reducing pollutants in well water on Monday, Nov. 14 in
Portsmouth, N.H. The New England Private Water Well Symposium is scheduled
for 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Portsmouth Hotel.
According to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, approximately 2.3 million people, or 20 percent of New
Englanders, rely on private wells for drinking water. This percentage
increases to more than 40 percent in the rural states of Vermont, New
Hampshire and Maine. Because water in private wells is not regulated by
government agencies, it is up to citizens to make sure that their well
water is safe. The ground water in wells is affected by geology, weather,
and land-use practices. Contamination of well water is not immediately
obvious.
The one-day symposium will open with a talk
by Robert Varney, regional administrator with the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency in Boston. A keynote presentation by Susan Seacrest,
executive director of The Groundwater Foundation, will follow. Seacrest
served as consultant to Erin Brockovich, a film in which a single mother
stumbles upon a cover-up involving toxic groundwater.
The symposium agenda includes new research
on contaminants of special concern in New England including health
effects, contaminant analysis, water treatment systems and best practices.
There will be three in-depth workshops on groundwater hazards, an
interactive session on risk communication strategies, and updates from the
New England state drinking water agencies. Continental breakfast,
refreshment breaks, lunch and conference materials are included in the
registration fee of $40.
Professionals engaged in research,
regulation, Extension, and education on drinking water contaminants are
encouraged to attend. The symposium is sponsored by the New England
Private Well Initiative, a partnership effort with U.S. EPA-New England,
the USDA Cooperative Extension New England Water Quality Program, New
England