People who drink ground water supplied by private water wells have confidence in their water supply, and think consumers should be permitted to choose their drinking water supply system, according to the results of a recent survey commissioned by the National Ground Water Association (NGWA).
In response to the independent survey of 1,000 randomly selected adults 18 years of age or older, 78 percent of water well owners said they prefer receiving their drinking water from their own well over getting their water from a utility (6 percent) or using bottled water (16 percent).
The results of the survey reveal that the majority of people drinking water from their own wells trust in their water supply. "Ground water is a crucial resource, in part because of its role as a reliable source of drinking water," said Kevin McCray, executive director of the National Ground Water Association, noting that 23 million Americans are served by private, individual water wells.
"Consumers who get their drinking water from a private well have control over their water supply and its security. Through consultation with ground water contractors for regular maintenance checkups, including annual water tests, water well owners can help ensure the quality of their drinking water," McCray said.
The survey also indicates that consumer thinking is in line with NGWA-endorsed legislation, H.R. 937, a bill that would help ensure that consumers have a choice in drinking water sources. Introduced by Congressman Richard Pombo (R-California), this legislation would prohibit the use of federal funds by any program that restricts the use of privately owned water sources. In some localities across the country, private well owners are being required to connect to public water supply systems even when a safe household water source is already available.
The independent national survey was conducted October 5-7 in support of the NGWA-sponsored annual Ground Water Awareness Week, to be held March 17-23, 2002. NGWA sponsored the survey and sponsors Ground Water Awareness Week in an effort to inform the public about the key role ground water and ground water professionals play in their lives.
The association also reports that ground water is not only the source of drinking water from water wells, but it is also the source of 75 percent of bottled waters.
Source: National Ground Water Association
