By
Tony Leys for KFF Health News.
Broadcast version by Mark Moran for Iowa News Service reporting for the KFF Health News-Public News Service Collaboration

Allison Roderick has a warning and a pledge for rural residents of her county: The water from their wells could be contaminated, but the government can help make it safe.

Roderick is the environmental health officer for Webster County in north-central Iowa, where a few thousand rural residents live among sprawling corn and soybean fields. Many draw their water from private wells, which are exempt from most federal testing and purity regulations. Roderick spreads the word that they aren't exempt from danger.

More than 43 million Americans rely on private wells, which are subject to a patchwork of state and local regulations, including standards for new construction. But in most cases, residents are free to use outdated wells without having them tested or inspected. The practice is common despite concern about runoff from farms and industrial sites, plus cancer-causing minerals that can taint groundwater.

"You're cooking with it. You're cleaning with it. You're bathing in it - and, nowadays, there are so many things that can make you sick," Roderick said.

Federal experts estimate more than a fifth of private wells have concentrations of contaminants above levels considered safe.

Like many states, Iowa offers aid to homeowners who use well water. The state provides about $50,000 a year to each of its 99 counties to cover testing and help finance well repairs or treatment. The money comes from fees paid on agricultural chemical purchases, but about half goes unused every year, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Roderick, who started her job in 2022, aims to spend every penny allotted to her county. Last spring, she snared an extra $40,000 that other counties hadn't used. She promotes the program online and by mailing piles of postcards. Traveling the countryside in a hand-me-down SUV from the sheriff's department, she collects water samples from outdoor spigots and sends them to a lab.

When she finds contamination, she can offer up to $1,000 of state grant money to help with repairs, or up to $500 to cap an abandoned well.

Experts urge all users of private wells to have them tested at least annually. Even if wells meet modern construction standards and have tested clean in the past, they can become contaminated as the water table rises or falls and conditions change above them. A faulty septic system or overapplication of fertilizer or pesticide can quickly taint groundwater.

Too many residents assume everything is fine "as long as the water is coming out of the tap and it doesn't smell funny," said Sydney Evans, a senior science analyst for the Environmental Working Group, a national advocacy organization that studies water pollution.

The main concerns vary, depending on an area's geology and industries.

In Midwestern farming regions, for example, primary contaminants include bacteria and nitrates, which can be present in agricultural runoff. In rural Nevada and Maine, arsenic and uranium often taint water. And, throughout the country, concerns are rising about the health effects of PFAS chemicals, widely used products also known as "forever chemicals." A recent federal study estimated at least 45% of U.S. tap water contains them.

Filters can help ensure safety, but only if they're selected to address the specific problem affecting a home's water supply, Evans said. The wrong filter can give a false sense of safety.

Evans said people who wonder about possible contaminants in their area can ask to see test results from wells supplying nearby community water systems. Those systems are required to test their water regularly, and the results should be public, she said: "It's a great place to start, and it's free and easy."

She also said people who rely on private water wells should ask local health officials about eligibility for help paying for testing and possible repairs or filters. Subsidies are often available but not publicized, she said.

A study by Emory University researchers published in 2019 found that all states have standards for new well construction, and most states require permits for them. However, the researchers wrote, "even in states with standards for water quality testing, testing is typically infrequent or not conducted at all."

Some longtime rural residents live in homes that have been in their families for generations. They often know little about their water source. "They'll say, 'This is the well my grandfather dug. We've used it ever since, and no one's had an issue,'" said David Cwiertny, director of the University of Iowa's Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination. They might not realize impure water can harm health over time, he said.

Some states require inspection and tests of private wells when properties are sold. Iowa doesn't mandate such measures, although Webster County does. It's a good idea for homebuyers anywhere to request them, said Erik Day, who oversees the private well program for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. He also recommends asking for a technician who can run a flexible scope down the well to visually inspect the inside.

Day estimated fewer than 10% of Iowa's private well owners have them tested annually, even though testing can be free under the state grant program.

In Webster County, Larry Jones recently took advantage of free well testing at a weathered ranch house he bought west of Fort Dodge, in a subdivision bordering a large soybean field. Jones lives next door to the 54-year-old home, and he is refurbishing it as a place for his relatives to stay.

Roderick, the county health official, sampled water from the well and found it was tainted with bacteria. She offered Jones $1,000 from the state grant to help get it fixed. He added a few thousand dollars of his own and hired a contractor.

"It's an investment for the future," he said. "You're talking about your family."

The old well was made with a 2-foot-diameter concrete casing sunk vertically in sections about 60 feet into the ground. A smaller plastic pipe ran down the middle of the casing to water at the bottom. A pump pulled water up through the smaller pipe and into the home.

Lynn Rosenquist, who owns a local well-repair business, told Jones the well probably was original to the house and likely met standards when it was built. But at least one chunk of concrete had broken off and fallen in.

Repairs took two days of heavy work by Rosenquist and his brother, Lanny, who are the third generation of their family to maintain wells. The brothers used a backhoe and small crane to remove much of the concrete casing. They replaced it with a narrower, PVC pipe, which they sealed with a cement mixture to prevent seepage from the surface. When finished, they "shocked" the system with a bleach solution, then flushed and tested again.

Such modern construction is less prone to becoming tainted, Roderick said. "If it's not sealed airtight, bacteria can get in there and it's just gross," she said.

Grossness is not the only thing Roderick considers. Besides E. coli and other bacteria, she tests for nitrates and sulfates, which can exist in farm or lawn runoff or come from natural sources, and for arsenic and manganese, which can occur in rock formations. She plans to add tests for PFAS chemicals soon.

She collects the water in small plastic bottles, which she mails to a lab. She enters information about each well into a state database. If the tests turn up contaminants, she advises homeowners of their options.

Roderick said she enjoys the routine. "I've met so many people - and I've met a lot of dogs," she said with a laugh. "I love the feeling that I'm really helping people."


Tony Leys wrote this article for KFF Health News.


get more stories like this via email

UPDATE: The event referenced in this story has been postponed due to inclement weather. The story will be updated when a new date and time are announced. (3:57 p.m. MDT, Aug. 7, 2024)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is highlighting its investments in rural America with an event coming up soon in western Virginia.

The gathering will feature local leaders and businesses and discussions of how the federal government has supported them through recent spending packages like the Inflation Reduction Act.

Anthony Flaccavento is a Virginia farmer and the executive director of a group helping to organize the event: the Rural Urban Bridge Initiative. He said a lot of people living in cities might look at rural areas in a negative light.

"The first big goal is to say to the broader media and the country, 'Hey, we're not dead yet. In fact, we're fighting back and having really effective, impactful work,'" Flaccavento pointed out.

The stakeholders at the roundtable are involved in industries like food systems management, agroforestry and affordable housing. Flaccavento acknowledged the federal government has rapidly improved how it connects with and invests in smaller communities in the past few years. Rural counties have grown in population since the pandemic after a decade-long trend of decline.

The event will be open to the public, at The Inn at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, at a date soon to be determined. It will kick off a series of similar gatherings across the country. Flaccavento is especially excited for people to learn about ACME Panel Company in Radford. This is a small business creating stormproof, insulated building materials.

"That's the kind of innovation that's creating local jobs," Flaccavento stressed. "It's also building structures that are perfect for a world experiencing climate change, much more energy efficient, and much more storm resistant. So they're a stellar example."

The federal government has invested billions in trying to spur economic growth in rural America. Flaccavento added grants and programs for broadband, ag innovation and manufacturing have made an especially big impact.


get more stories like this via email

By Ilana Newman for The Daily Yonder.
Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Colorado News Connection for the Public News Service/Daily Yonder Collaboration

In Colorado, a new online database hopes to bring attention and collaboration to rural businesses, primarily those in the outdoor industry.

Rural is Rad was started by Kelly Mazanti, TJ Smith, and Robin Hall, who all own small businesses based in rural Colorado. They discovered a shared interest and mutual frustration over growing businesses in rural communities. 

The group met during West Slope Startup Week, a conference that brings together startups based in the rural Western Slope of Colorado for a week of networking, lectures, and discussions. They wanted to build something that would continue to bring together rural brands in the outdoor industry and create a space where customers could find these brands in one place.

“We have to support each other because I have found that the people who live in these [rural] places are the most courageous and creative people that I’ve ever met,” Mazanti said in a Daily Yonder interview.

Mazanti runs Buttnski, an apparel brand based in Summit County, Colorado. She sees her role as a business owner in the community as a way to support economic development in a rural county and contribute to a thriving community. 

“As a founder, my goal is to build this headquarters of operation for Buttnski in Summit County so that we can employ people and contribute to economic development and become not only an industry hub in our community but also a place where we can help develop how this community grows,” she said.

Rural counties with outdoor recreation opportunities can attract more residents who have more money than non-recreational rural counties. However, recreational economies also tend to have lower wages and can drive up housing prices in a community, which pushes lower-income people to other areas. 

Mazanti hopes that Rural is Rad can connect rural business owners and communities to help solve challenges like this.

It can be harder for small brands and businesses in rural communities to gain traction. Rural small business owners struggle with the lack of access to financing, broadband speeds, and increasing cost of doing business. 

The Rural is Rad database hopes to address this by bringing rural brands to a larger audience outside of their home communities. 

Colorado has a plethora of opportunities for rural businesses through their Rural Opportunity Office including the Regional Resiliency & Recovery Roadmaps Program, the Rural Data Dashboard, and the Rural Technical Assistance Program. 

“I think if I was trying to do this in any other state, I wouldn’t have this kind of support or the type of resources and community around me,” Mazanti said. 

She sees collaborations with everyone from the statewide governmental organizations to nonprofits like Startup Colorado to small-town chambers of commerce as vital for the success of the Rural is Rad movement. “Colorado is an example, and it’s a great place to start this kind of a movement.”

Rural is Rad plans to host events and workshops for business owners. The second Rural is Rad week is scheduled to start on Small Business Saturday (November 30th, 2024). This week will highlight rural brands and offer consumers a way to support rural small businesses during the holiday shopping season.

“We can utilize that directory year-round to point people toward these to discover new brands. But then during Rural is Rad shopping week, which happens once a year, that can be an opportunity to further promote these smaller, more unique brands and founders that people may never have heard about,” Mazanti said. 

Currently, Rural is Rad’s database features 17 brands from jewelry makers to backcountry bathroom kits to campgrounds. Brands and service providers can join Rural is Rad by filling out a survey on the website.

Mazanti hopes to expand the database to eventually include all of rural America.


Ilana Newman wrote this article for The Daily Yonder.


get more stories like this via email

This article was produced by Resource Rural.
Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan for West Virginia News Service reporting for the Resource Rural-Public News Service Collaboration

When asked, Lindsey Crittendon describes Huntington, West Virginia as “home.” She uses that word to orient her from a geographical perspective, but also to convey the general feeling of the small city that sits on the Ohio River, at a point where West Virginia connects with neighboring Kentucky and Ohio. 

“Everybody knows everybody,” she said of her hometown. “It’s a very tight-knit community…I think it’s the most beautiful place on Earth.”

Huntington’s position among the western foothills of the Appalachian Mountains certainly offers a scenic backdrop for a city supported by a diverse economy, including the country’s second-busiest inland port, a strong manufacturing sector, as well as robust healthcare, education, and transportation industries. Even with all of its strengths, Huntington — and West Virginia as a whole — is often misunderstood by those who don’t live there, according to Crittendon. She said their capabilities are often underestimated or pegged to certain blue-collar industries.

“When I was growing up, whenever I would talk to someone that wasn’t from here, I would get questions like, ‘Do you all wear shoes?’” Crittendon said. “I think maybe there are a lot of misconceptions about West Virginia and its people.”

But those who live here know the real story of hardworking communities looking to build a life in the state they love. To provide hometown opportunities for a local population that sometimes has to look beyond state lines for employment, NewForce, a fully remote and tuition-free coding school, is investing in training a budding West Virginia tech workforce. The six-month program is part of Generation WV and utilizes funding from the Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities initiative and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a federal stimulus package approved by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Crittendon, a former social worker, is a graduate of the program. She landed a job right out of the academy and has since progressed to become a lead software engineer with a different company, Booz Allen Hamilton, a management consulting services company based in McLean, Virginia with an office right in Huntington.

“The NewForce program has drawn a lot of attention to the talent that’s in the area and has actually brought jobs here,” Crittendon said, using her experience as an example. “I can really see West Virginia becoming a second Silicon Valley. We have a lot of underappreciated, undervalued talent that I really think translates really well to tech.”

It is the hardworking spirit of those living in West Virginia that Crittendon believes acts as a valuable foundation for tech-based careers. From coal miners to farmers to steel workers, Crittendon said West Virginians have a unique discipline and an enviable drive to do a job and do it right.



“If I could describe West Virginians in one word, it would be ‘tenacity.’ So, absolutely, when I think of West Virginia, I think of hard workers,” she said.

Part of the novelty of the NewForce program is the mock-work environment it establishes for its students. To best prepare the students for the current tech workforce, the program has students build applications for a pretend company. At times, they work in teams, and despite being remote, they move through the program as a cohort — engaging in a virtual classroom for seven hours every weekday over the six-month program. 

Once they graduate, they’re qualified to work as web developers or junior, full-stack software developers, and they receive assistance with job placement, which is how Crittendon discovered her first opportunity in the field. 

For Crittendon, the transition from social worker to software engineer has similarities despite sounding like a drastic departure. With social work, she loved solving people’s problems and helping them navigate solutions. As a software engineer, she feels like she’s doing the same thing in a new way that allows her to give back and continue to live in the community she loves.

“It gives me a strong sense of pride,” Crittendon said of being able to donate her newfound skills to an organization within her community that supports underprivileged children. “If I can use my skills that I have developed to benefit my community directly from my home, rather than fleeing from it, I have a lot of pride in that.”


This article was produced by Resource Rural.


get more stories like this via email