FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 4, 2005) – May is Water Awareness Month, an educational program of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, Environmental and Natural Resource Issues Task Force. The program promotes overall water awareness for the citizens of Kentucky.

Contact your county extension agent about Water Awareness Month. Extension agents have information on health and safety of drinking water wells, disinfection of well water and on water quality. Private well water is not regulated or tested by the EPA, so those responsibilities are with the homeowner. Those using private wells for drinking water should test for bacteria and nitrates at least annually. 

For more information on Water Awareness Month, see http://www.ca.uky.edu/enri/kwam.htm. The month includes Drinking Water Week, May 1-7. Its theme, “The Wonders of Water,” is intended to raise public awareness and to motivate the public to protect and conserve water resources.

A booklet produced by EPA, “Water on Tap - What You Need To Know,” is a consumer’s guide to drinking water. It provides answers to questions about relative safety of drinking water, where drinking water comes from, how to protect drinking water and what to do if you drink from a private well.

For a free copy of the booklet, contact the Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or visit  http://www.epa.gov/safewater/wot/index.html.

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