TheWell Educatedprogram guides private well owners through the process of testing their water quality and understanding their test results.  The project is administered by Montana State University Extension Water Quality in Bozeman.  Fact sheets and educational videos associated with the program are available at the MSUEWQ website.

  • Please note: this program is not intended for well testing for real estate transactions or for testing required for legal reasons.

 

 

Benefits of Participating in the Well Educated Program:

Interpreting water quality lab reports can be confusing (see examples for a bacteria lab report and for a chemistry lab report). For participants in the Well Educated program, we provide an individualized interpretation based on the use people specify for the water. Listed are examples of the following autointerpretations; household use, irrigation use, and livestock use. See this 4.5 minute video for an overview of the lab report and the autointerpretation reports. 

Program Updates

  • As of June 2022 livestock and irrigation auto interpretation released

Other Resources

Helping participants find the latitude and longitude for their well

It is ideal if county partners can look at Google maps with a participant when they pick up a test kit to find the latitude and longitude of their well and record the coordinates accurately on the registration sheet. See this page for how to use Google Maps to find coordinates for a well.  

Ordering more test kits

When a county partner needs more test kits, you either call or email MSUEWQ to order more. Call 406-994-7381. Email WellEducated@montana.edu. If it is possible to find a ride for the kits to get from Bozeman to your location, we reallyappreciatethe chance to save on shipping. Otherwise, we use the USPS for shipping and 15fit in a box,so let us know how many boxes you would like and if your addresshas changed.