FAIRMONT – Citizens who get water from underground sources on their land, such as wells, will be able to have their water tested for nitrates, chlorides and arsenics for free.

The testing will be available from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Dec. 4 at the Knights of Columbus, provided by the Minnesota Well Owners Organization (MNWOO). For those who can’t make it, they will also be able to drop off their samples at the Martin County Soil and Water Conservation District Office on Dec. 2 and 3. The office is located at 923 N State St # 110, and is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

“What we’re asking people to do is bring in a quart of water in a clean glass container,” MNWOO President Paul Wotzka said. “We would prefer a hard container. It doesn’t necessarily have to be glass, but you know, oftentimes people bring water in Ziploc bags. That can get a little messy, transferring it.”

MNWOO has operated for 10 years and conducted wellwater testing since 2018, but this is the first time they will be operating in south central Minnesota. Wotzka said their ability to do so is possible through a collaboration to get grant funding from the Legislative Citizens Commission on Minnesota Resources.

“We were awarded a grant to look at well water here in south central Minnesota,” Wotzka said. “The reason that we’re focusing on South Central Minnesota is one of our partners, the Mayo Clinic, has health care facilities in those counties. This is really a dual-track effort to get private well owners to test their water. Mayo Clinic is going to be setting up test kits in their family physician office and educating their family physicians on the importance of getting their water tested.”

From the flyers they sent out, Wotzka said they estimate around 2,600 private wells in Martin County. By doing events like these, Wotzka said they are carrying out their organization’s mission.

“We understood that as a real big challenge to educate private well owners on the need to test their water to ensure that it’s safe to drink for them and their families and friends,” he said. “We started doing these screening clinics to fulfill our general mission, which is to educate and advocate for private well owners.”

Testing for nitrates and chlorides is what MNWOO does at every stop, and the test takes around 15 minutes. It will take around two to three weeks after a sample is collected for the test to complete for arsenic, and Wotzka said they have brought that test specially for this area.

“The glaciers were really good to South Central Minnesota,” he said. “You’ve got some of the richest soils on the planet, top county producers for corn and soybeans. You can’t get enough water just from the soils, you’ve got to go to the rock below. The rock below, you know, has geology that may contain contaminants like arsenic. Arsenic is a concern in the geologic formations over in South Central Minnesota.”

If testing reveals higher-than-normal concentrations of nitrates, chlorides, or arsenic, Wotzka said a notification will be sent out and multiple options will be available.

“As a really quick and easy response to that, we would ask that that private well owner utilize bottled water, which is generally free from any contaminants,” he said. “They could also install a number of treatment technologies. One of them that is universally available is reverse osmosis.”

By bringing this testing for free to the Martin County Area, Wotzka said it is addressing the water that is most important to Minnesotans.

“We’re in a water-rich state. We have such an abundance of water. If you give it thought, the water coming out of the kitchen tap is really the most important to Minnesotans. To talk to Minnesotans about that, and to give this message of taking personal responsibility for the safety of your drinking water, that it’s a joy.”

To pre-register, visit mnwoo.org/order-water-tests/. For more information, visit mnwoo.org/ or email paul.wotzka@mnwoo.org.