Tuesday September 23rd

The Eaton Conservation District and the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) will sponsor a free domestic drinking water well screening on Tuesday September 23rd from 1pm-4pm. Those that wish to have their well water screened for nitrates, free of charge, can bring water samples to the Eaton Conservation District Office. 
 
Samples from drinking water wells will be screened for nitrate and nitrite. The screening is open to everyone who uses a personal well for drinking water. Bring your samples to the Eaton Conservation District office located at 551 Courthouse Drive, Suite 3, in Charlotte on Tuesday, September 23rd between 1-4pm.  This service is for private drinking water wells only. Public water supplies are tested regularly. Please do not bring samples from public water supplies or non-drinking water sources. Only drinking water well samples will be tested. You do not have to use a special bottle for this screening. Any small clean jar will work—one ounce of water is enough.
 
Please follow the directions below to sample your well. Collect samples just before bringing them to the sample drop-off. Samples must be less than 48 hours old for a valid nitrate result. 
 
1. Pick a tap that supplies water that has not run through any treatment devices (water softener, carbon filter, etc.). An outdoor faucet often works well.

2. Run the water for 20-30 minutes before collecting the sample. This will give the pump time to flush the water pressure tank and plumbing so you can collect a valid sample. Disconnect any hoses before collecting the sample; do not sample through a hose. Rinse the sample bottle and lid thoroughly in the water to be sampled; then fill and cap the bottle. 

3. Label the bottle clearly with your name, the sampling date, and the well name (cottage well, Mom's well, etc.) using a waterproof pen.  

4. Keep the sample dark and cold (on ice or refrigerated) until it is dropped off.

All results are confidential. You will get your results onsite at  the Conservation District as well as information on what to do should nitrite or  nitrates show up in your drinking water. If you are pursuing MAEAP verification, bring your water samples in for screening. If no Nitrates are detected you may be exempt from having to pay for Nitrate sampling at the State Lab. Ask Jen for more details.

For more information contact Jen Silveri at the Eaton Conservation District Office at 517-543-5848 ext 5 or jennifer.silveri@mi.nacdnet. 551 Courthouse Dr. Suite 3, Charlotte, MI.

The Ingham Conservation District is hosting an agricultural field day on Tuesday August 19th entitled "Livestock Best Management Practices: Small Contributions and Big Impacts".  The event begins at 8:45 and ends at 1:15.  Lunch will be provided.  Enjoy interesting and practical discussions on pasture health, manure and nutrient
management and weed control.  MAEAP Phase 1 Credits and 5 Pesticide Recertification Credits are available.  More details are provided on the attached flyer. Register today at www.inghamconservation.com.

This event is one of many River Clean-ups that all benefit the Kalamazoo River Watershed.  To learn more, please visit http://kalamazooriver.org/