Private Water Network Twitter Chat: Groundwater Awareness Week on Wed, Mar 10 @ 2pm. #GWAWChat

Wednesday, Mar 10 2PM- 3PM EST

In celebration of the National Groundwater Awareness Week, the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) and the Private Water Network, in partnership with the National Groundwater Association (NGWA), are hosting a Twitter chat to initiate a conversation on the challenges, opportunities, and priorities regarding groundwater and private drinking water systems. We hope this chat will help highlight important work and conversations on how impaired groundwater quality impacts public health and what we can do to respond to emerging and existing issues.

Join us in leading this conversation on groundwater safety on March 10 at 2 pm ET. #GWAWChat #GroundwaterAwarenessWeek #PWN

Hash Tags:

• Primary – #GWAWChat

• Secondary - #PWN #GroundwaterAwarenessWeek

To Participate:

• To participate and receive live updates from the chat, RSVP to the event here and follow @NEHAorg and @PrivateWaterNet on Twitter.

• Use the official hashtag - #GWAWChat - in your tweets so users can easily look up your tweets can join in on the conversation. Please share this link, and make sure your Twitter account has RSVP'ed as well: https://www.twtvite.com/4lx1sjcrxo

Twitter Chat Questions

Q1. Over 15% of the population relies on a private well as their primary source of drinking water, for which there are no federal water quality requirements, and most states do not regulate private well water quality. What is your organization currently doing or has done to address private drinking water concerns? #GWAWChat (2:06 pm EDT)

Q2. Collaborative efforts to improve public health are essential. Who are you partnering with to address the existing and emerging issues relating to private drinking water? #GWAWChat (2:12 pm EDT)

Q3. Among primary concerns on private wells are the effective outreach, aging well infrastructure, groundwater depletion, climate change, proximity to landfills and storage tanks, saltwater intrusion, etc. What concerns is your organization prioritizing and how? #GWAWChat (2:18 pm EDT)

Q4. How can the public and environmental health workforce better plan for and address private water concerns? #GWAWChat (2:24 pm EDT)

Q5. How can we better protect vulnerable populations from adverse effects that result from contaminants such as lead, PFAS, nitrates, arsenic, etc.? #GWAWChat (2:30 pm EDT)

Q6. What experiences do you have in addressing private well issues associated with disadvantaged communities? (2:36 pm EDT)

Q7. Natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes can threaten private well water quality and security. What are some ways to ensure private drinking water safety as an emergency response? #GWAWChat (2:42 pm EDT)

Q8. What kind of guidance do you provide on private well water treatment options; What are your experiences in how individuals maintain these systems? (2:48 pm EDT)

Q9. Identify a private water resource that addresses public health concerns that other might finds useful. This resource could be a guidance document, fact sheet, article, blogpost, webinar, YouTube video, etc. #GWAWChat (2:54 pm EDT)

At 3:00 p.m. EDT we will end our chat with thanking all who participated.

Best Practices:

Please remind your social media staff that in order to participate, they should follow @NEHAorg and @PrivateWaterNet on Twitter and they need to use #GWAWChat in all tweets so that others can follow their contributions to the conversation. Tweets should be 280 characters or less.

It is also helpful for them to use A1 to answer Q1, A2 to answer Q2, and so on. Multiple answers to our posed questions are very much welcomed!

About PWN

The PWN is a virtual community of practice with opportunities to interact face-to-face at the NEHA Annual Educational Conference and Exhibition. Membership to PWN offers access to the virtual community platform that provides flexible communication options and easy-to-use knowledge management tools that facilitate collaboration and professional development. Features of the virtual community include a discussion forum, resources library, event calendar, member directory, and community-wide search option. Members of the Network can engage on the virtual platform by uploading or downloading relevant materials, engaging in discussions, connecting with peers, and promoting relevant events. Furthermore, the membership to PWN also offers access to exclusive webinars and newsletters on private water issues. The membership to PWN is free.

Join PWN

If you are interested in joining the PWN, you can sign up at www.PrivateWaterNetwork.org. NEHA membership is not required to be a member of the Network; however, you will need to create a my-NEHA account through www.NEHA.org. For any questions or concerns about PWN membership or participation, please contact pwn@neha.org.