Gaston County, UNC Charlotte researchers partner on groundwater study

UNC Charlotte researchers, in collaboration with the Gaston County Department of Health and Human Services, announce the release of the Gaston Water Map, a website that maps known groundwater quality in the county, and provides resources as to best practices households can use to understand their well water quality.

More than 4 in every 10 households in Gaston County currently use private well water as their primary source of drinking water. The groundwater resources that feed these wells are critically important for human health.

Groundwater quality may be degraded by a range of contamination sources, including agricultural runoff, septic drain fields and coal ash ponds, as well as to naturally occurring trace elements such as arsenic.

Based on findings from a recent, CDC-funded “Healthy Wells” study conducted by Gaston County health department workers and UNC Charlotte researchers, only a fraction of these households regularly test their drinking water, placing them at risk. Needed are tools that private well owners can use to inform themselves, as well as encouragement to conduct regular testing.

Gaston Water Map provides an easy way to learn about groundwater quality through maps and rich visualization specific to contextualized information and analytics regarding groundwater quality from private wells.

In the last few days, more than 8,000 postcards announcing the service are being sent to residents that participated in the “Healthy Wells” study and encouraging them to locate their addresses on the interactive maps.

The service is free, and all visits are anonymous, but there is an option for residents to subscribe to the Gaston Water Map and receive updates regarding groundwater quality and resources as they become available.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gaston County, UNC Charlotte researchers partner on groundwater study