Public Health Partnership Wins $547,000 Well Water Grant for the Region
(Submitted – Delta County Health Department)
The five-year investment in the Region will enable local environmental health personnel to assist residents in learning more about the risks that threaten the safety of drinking water from area private wells and will provide well water testing for local property owners. Delta County Director of Environmental Health, Ken Nordstrom, of Delta County Health Department and a member of the 6 county West Central Public Health Partnership, applied for and secured a 5 year grant from the Centers of Disease Control to help address private well water concerns in Delta, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Ouray and San Miguel counties.
Local Public Health Agencies in the 6 counties had identified private well water quality as a high priority during the last Regional Health Assessment. Now the group of public health leaders will have funding to address these concerns. “Private Well Water is unregulated. We needed funding to gather data, documenting potential problems that may be affecting drinking water in private wells. This will help us address issues and make good recommendations to the public”, said Ken Nordstrom. In year two, grant funding will allow for sampling and testing of well water across the region, as well as an education campaign about private well management and upkeep aimed at approximately 10,000 private well owners in the 6 county region.
The West Central Public Health Partnership was formed in 2006 to strengthen the public health infrastructure in the region through collaboration and shared services.
For more information contact Ken Nordstrom by phone 970-874-2169 or email knordstrom@deltacounty.com or your local county public health agency.
970-874-2165 Delta County Health Department
970-641-7913 Gunnison County Health and Human Services
970-944-0321 Hinsdale County Public Health
970-252-5000 Montrose County Health and Human Services
970-325-4670 Ouray County Public Health
970-728-4289 San Miguel County Public Health
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