Nearly one in six Kansans get their drinking water from private wells. What they don't get is assurances that the water is safe.

Private wells, unlike public drinking water supplies, are largely unregulated by health authorities. But a team headed by a researcher at KU School of Medicine-Wichita is trying to draw attention to the potential dangers, and find solutions.

"There are some 60,000 drinking wells that we know of in the state," said Jack Brown, research director in the school's Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health. "There may be more. We certainly can't sample all of these wells, but we can open up everybody's eyes to looking at this more than in the past."

The potential danger isn't hypothetical. In west Wichita, it was discovered that about 600 residents had been drinking well water that had been contaminated by a dry cleaner's operations for several decades. In another case, a Wichita day care center was found to be using private well water in a contaminated area.

Brown is principal investigator for the two-year project, which is being funded with a $200,000 grant from the Kansas Health Foundation. He's joined in the effort by Dr. Elizabeth Ablah, associate professor in the same department; John Neuberger, a professor at KU Medical Center in Kansas City; and Mary Marrow, an attorney with the Public Health Law Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

All have years of experience working on groundwater contamination issues. In fact, the current project arose out of work by Brown and Ablah on the west Wichita case, in which dry-cleaning solvents from the Four Seasons Dry Cleaner contaminated groundwater. The contamination, which had likely been present for 50 years, was only discovered because the Kansas Department of Health and Environment was testing a commercial well in the area. 

"We realized there's a very large gap in public health policy," Ablah said.

How large?

Statewide, about 400,000 people, or 15 percent of all residents, get their drinking water from private wells. Studies have shown the presence of industrial, agricultural, biological, and naturally-occurring substances in groundwater -- fertilizers, arsenic, pesticides, and more -- that could pose a health hazard. Medical risks range from stomach aches to cancer. Private water wells are also widely used for irrigation, although that will not be a primary focus of the project.

The researchers note that the west Wichita contamination didn't stem from a leak or spill, but was rather the result of standard industry practice at the time.

"This is very likely common in communities across the country," Ablah said.

Another concern is that the emptying of aquifers may lead to higher concentrations of contaminants.

Ablah, Brown, and their colleagues will collect and analyze policies that relate to private wells around Kansas, noting those that appear to do a good job of protecting residents. In Wichita, private well water must be tested when a home is sold; however, the testing is only for bacteria and doesn't address other potentially harmful contaminants.

The researchers will develop a survey of local and state officials to gauge their reaction to proposed policies.

They hope these processes generate public interest in the topic, and they will conduct a communication campaign developed by the KU School of Medicine-Wichita's public affairs office. The team plans to present its findings and research to key decision makers at a conference in fall 2017.

Neuberger's interest is in the environmental causes of disease, while Marrow is an expert on safe water drinking laws across the country. 

Ablah said the researchers are mindful that the biggest roadblock to Kansans obtaining water from well-regulated public supplies is cost: usually, homeowners and businesses must pay the considerable costs of hooking up to a public water supply. They also must generally pay the cost of having their wells tested.  

The researchers hope to influence policy to enable residents to know if their wells lie in vulnerable areas where potentially harmful business or agricultural operations have taken place. Then appropriate testing could take place to ensure no harmful health effects could result from consuming the water.

Ablah said the team doesn't want to place an "undue burden" on anyone. But they do want to make drinking water safe for all Kansans.