Social Science for Drinking Water Protection

Improving Private Well Water Safety

Nearly one-quarter of Minnesotans drink groundwater from private wells. Private well owners bear the responsibility for their water quality and serve households of every socioeconomic class, yet they have few, if any, public resources.

The Minnesota Well Owners Organization has observed low participation in free water testing clinics, even in high risk areas. Private well owners may lack an understanding of the risks, assume their water is protected, distrust the water testing process or even fear outcomes of testing. Community norms of testing water at the tap are lacking, putting Minnesotans – young and old – at risk.

The project team addressed this by pursuing social science research to identify community norms and develop a new narrative that promotes safe drinking water.

Outcomes

• Conducted a survey of 196 private well owners in Dakota and Stearns counties, who emphasized a very strong interest in free well water testing programs and learning more about groundwater pathways
• Created drinking water research bulletins for two Minnesota audiences: local water and health professionals and private well owners
• Convened a strong interdisciplinary and cross-sector team of scientists, advocates and policy makers for guiding future private well owner engagement on drinking water testing
• Identified future research opportunities around  groundwater pathways to drinking water and surface water