The North Texas Groundwater Conservation District is teaming with a group of University of Texas of Arlington researchers to conduct a groundwater quality-testing program that will include at least 100 samples from private wells.
Inform Environmental LLC, a private firm that works with UT Arlington, is looking for volunteer landowners with private wells. The testing is free, and results will be made available to participants. The North Texas Groundwater Conservation District includes Denton, Collin and Cooke counties.
"Since we first started examining water quality in 2011, our lab has developed comprehensive testing methods that give us the expertise needed to help North Texas citizens become more informed," said Kevin Schug, Shimadzu Distinguished Professor of Analytical Chemistry at UT Arlington. "We're pleased to be collaborating with groundwater conservation districts throughout the state as they work to protect resources and plan for the future."
Schug and Zacariah Hildenbrand, a research associate at UT Arlington who owns Inform Environmental, were co-authors on a 2013 study published by the journal Environmental Science & Technology that characterized water quality in private water wells near natural gas extraction sites in the Barnett Shale. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality regulates public water systems, but it does not regulate or test the quality of private water wells, even those used for drinking.
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Highlights, UT Arlington