UNC SRP CEC and collaborators recommend improvements to North Carolina well policy in new white paper

North Carolina has the largest number of households served by private wells in the United States. A new white paper from the UNC SRP Community Engagement Core (CEC) and the UNC School of Law Well Water Pro Bono Project entitled “Policy Options for Protecting North Carolina Communities Served by Private Wells” is intended to inform policymakers about private well water testing and treatment in the state and what can be done to better support and protect well users.

The paper recommends policies to reduce barriers to testing, support treatment options for low-income households, and require private well testing before real estate transfers. Many of the recommendations build on work by  the North Carolina Well Water Working Group, which brings together representatives from academia, environmental nonprofits, state health and environmental agencies, and local health departments to develop potential solutions that would ensure private well water quality in NC. Recommendations include: testing private wells of high-risk populations in the state, exploring barriers that well users face to accessing reliable and uncontaminated drinking water, and working with the North Carolina Real Estate Commission on disclosure of private well test results.

Read the paper

By: Chase Bergeson, UNC SRP Research Translation Associate