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A Survey of Private Drinking Water Wells For Lawn and Tree Care Pesticides

Full text of report
Summary of Findings
Recommendations

Introduction

A report by EHHI indicates that lawn and tree care pesticides are capable of filtering down through the soil and entering residential drinking water wells, even deep wells. This study demonstrates that further testing of private wells is needed and that greater protection of drinking water supplies from pesticides is indicated.

Approximately 500,000 people in Connecticut get their drinking water from private residential wells which remain largely untested for pesticides. Studies in California,Texas, Florida, the Midwest, and Connecticut have demonstrated contamination of groundwater by pesticides in agricultural use, but very little data exist on the effects of lawn and tree care pesticides on private wells. Environment & Human Health, Inc. (EHHI), in conjunction with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and the Quinnipiack Valley Health District, conducted a survey of 53 private residential wells in the town of Woodbridge, Connecticut in June, 1998.

Six of the wells, or 11%,were found to contain traces of seven pesticides. Five of the six wells contained more than one pesticide, with one well having five pesticides.

These results indicate that lawn and tree care pesticides are capable of filtering down through the soil and entering residential drinking water wells, even deep wells. This study demonstrates that further testing of private wells is needed and that greater protection of drinking water supplies from pesticides is indicated.

 

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