Water Tips and Facts

About 15 percent of Americans have their own sources of drinking water, such as wells, cisterns, and springs. Unlike public drinking water systems serving many people, they do not have experts regularly checking the water's source and its quality before it is sent through pipes to the community.

Program Resources

Water Testing Links

Virginia Certified Private Water Quality Lab Listing
Participating in a VAHWQP drinking water clinic? Sample collection video here!

Common Water Quality Issues

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers about Private Water Supplies

Financial Assistance

Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project in Virginia (SERCAP) - promotes the development of affordable water and wastewater facilities, activities and resources to improve the quality of life for low income rural residents
Virginia Department of Health Septic and Well Assistance Program - You may qualify to have your private well or septic system fixed for free! If you have a house with a well or septic system that needs to be fixed, and your income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, VDH can cover the cost!
USDA Rural Development Programs - housing, emergency, and community development grants
Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development

Springs and Cistern Resources

VAHWQP Drinking Water Clinic Summary Infographics

New! 2023 VAHWQP Annual Report
2022 VAHWQP Annual Report
2021 VAHWQP Annual Report
2019 VAHWQP Annual Report
2018 VAHWQP Annual Report
2017 VAHWQP Annual Report
2016 VAHWQP Annual Report
2015 VAHWQP Annual Report
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Popular Press and Journal Articles

What to know when buying a home with a well and septic system video (made in collaboration with Virginia Department of Health)
NEW! Virginia Household Water Quality Program featured on First Fridays with Hermon Maclin! Building Local Relationships and Attracting New Clients to VCE
PFAS in Drinking Water - June 2022 Webinar
FEATURED! Well Maintenance, Ground and Surface Water, and Well Drilling on Pulse of the Planet!
Human and Agricultural Biosciences Building (home of BSE Water Quality Lab) featured on NPR!
Peer-reviewed journal articles relating to VAHWQP:
- Allevi, et al., 2013. Quantitative analysis of microbial contamination in private drinking water supply systems. Journal of Water and Health 11.2 pp 244-255. doi: 10.2166/wh.2013.152.
- Benham, et al., 2016. What's in your water? Development and Evaluation of the Virginia Household Water Quality Program and Virginia Master Well Owner Network. Journal of Human Sciences and Extension. Volume 4, Number 1. pp 123-138.
- Fields, N. I., Shaffer, T. (2022). An Introduction to Environmental Justice and Extension Programs Engaging Vulnerable Communities. In N. I. Fields, & T. Shaffer (Eds.), Striving for Grassroots Engagement: Community Education, Social Justice, Cultural Competence, and the Role of Cooperative Extension. Michigan State University Press. 2022.
- Fasaee, M., Pesantez, J., Pieper, K., Ling, E., Benham, B., Edwards, M., and Berglund, E. Developing Early Warning Systems to Predict Water Lead Levels in Tap Water for Private Systems, Water Research.Vol 221. August 2022.
- Fasaee, M., Berglund, E., Pieper, K., Ling, E., Benham, B., and Edwards, M. Using Bayesian Belief Models and Machine Learning to Predict Water Lead Levels in Tap Water for Private Systems, Water Research. Vol 189. Feb 2021.
- Hinkle, M.A.G., Ziegler, B., Culbertson, H. et al. Manganese exposure from spring and well waters in the Shenandoah Valley: interplay of aquifer lithology, soil composition, and redox conditions. Environ Geochem Health 46, 203 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-024-01987-4
- Hohweiler, K., L. Krometis, E. Ling, K. Xia. 2024. "Incidence of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in private drinking water supplies in Southwest Virginia, USA ." Science of the Total Environment. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172539
- Patton. H., L. Krometis, E.Ling, A. Cohen, E. Sarver, 2024. "Faucet-mounted point-of-use drinking water filters to improve water quality in households served by private wells". Science of The Total Environment, Volume 906, 167252, ISSN 0048-9697, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167252.
- Patton, H., Krometis, L.-A., Faulkner, B.B., Cohen, A., Ling, E. and Sarver, E. (2023), Developing a Simple Strategy for Roadside Spring Water Disinfection in Central Appalachia. Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education, 178: 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1936-704X.2023.3388.x
- Pieper, et al., 2015. Profiling Private Water Systems to Identify Patterns of Waterborne Lead Exposure. Environmental Science and Technology. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b03174
  Environ. Sci. Technol. 2015, 49, 1269712704.
- Pieper, et al., 2015. Incidence of waterborne lead in private drinking water systems in Virginia. Journal of Water and Health 13.3. pp 897-908. doi: 10.2166/wh.2015.275.
- Pieper et al. 2016. Quantifying lead leaching potential from plumbing exposed to aggressive waters. Journal-American Water Works Association 108 (9), E458-468.
- Pieper et al. 2016. Simultaneous Influence of Geology and System Design on Drinking Water Quality in Private Systems. Journal of Environmental Health 79 (2), E1-E9.
- Scott, V.; Juran, L.; Ling, E.J.; Benham, B.; Spiller, A. Assessing Strontium and Vulnerability to Strontium in Private Drinking Water Systems in Virginia. Water 2020, 12, 1053.
- Smith, et al., 2014. Associations between fecal indicator bacteria prevalence and demographic data in private water supplies in Virginia. Journal of Water and Health 12.4 pp 824-834. doi: 10.2166/wh.2014.026.
- VanDerwerker, T., Zhang, L., Ling, E., Benham, B., and Schreiber, 2018. Evaluating Geologic Sources of Arsenic in Well Water in Virginia (USA). Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 787; doi:10.3390/ijerph15040787.