WINTER 1998
2305 East 5th Street
Duluth Minnesota 55812-1445

The end of the year brings not only the holiday season but a time for evaluation of many programs including the Minnesota Water Line. Judging by the number of people helped, the Water Line had a successful year in 1997. So far, the Line has received 505 calls, up 44% from last year's total. This is a good sign, indicating that people are getting the word out and more people are using the line. However, the Water Line has not been as successful in generating funds to remain operational. Currently, we have enough funding to continue through March of 1998. Yes, that is only months away. If the service is important to you, call me with ideas for funding or call your state agencies and tell them that you do not want to lose the service and would like to see some support for the Water Line.

Over 60 percent of the questions I receive continue to center around wells and septic systems. The other two large categories are home water treatment and questions pertaining to surface waters. The length of time I spend on an individual's call ranges from a minute to up to a few hours over the course of several days. The average call takes from 15 to 30 minutes. People are hearing about the line through a variety of ways, with one of the most frequent being referrals from the County Extension Offices and the University of Minnesota Water Resources Center. The other effective marketing tool for the Water Line has been to advertise the number in local newsletters. Thanks to everyone for including the Water Line number in their newsletters!

the water line and well head protection
 
The Water Line has teamed up with the Minnesota Department of Health to "get the word out" on well head protection in Minnesota. In the coming years, communities and other public water supplies will be required to prepare a well head protection plan for their water supply wells. This involves delineating the area that contributes to the recharge of their wells and preventing pollution from occurring in that area. The Water Line is available to handle calls about common questions people may have about the plans. Also available are some ways to minimize impacts on ground water resources.

After the well head protection plans are established and the recharge area delineated, a plan for educating the land owners within the area is of critical importance. The Water Line can be one way for people to access information about ground water protection in the defined areas through a non regulatory approach. Call me for more details.

the water line has six water quality ads available
 
The six water quality ads deal with topics such as well testing, well contamination, bottled water, and ways to handle smelly or hard water. The ads consist of a short discussion about the particular water problem followed by solutions and the Water Line phone number for further questions. These ads work well in local newspapers and are now available from the Water Line. Contact me at the Water Line number if interested.

question of the season
 
Is water witching an appropriate alternative for locating an underground water source?

Very simply, no. In most areas of Minnesota you would be very hard pressed to drill and not get water. Well witchers operate on the largely incorrect notion that ground water flows in veins and underground rivers. This is true in certain geological settings, but most of our ground water fills the pore spaces in the subsurface and is not in veins or underground rivers. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, not one scientifically conducted experiment using water witches to locate sites for the location of wells has ever yielded reproducible support for water witches' claims.