Upon approval of the local citizens, the initial database will include results from about 400 home wells. Homeowners from the two counties who have their well water tested by a certified laboratory are invited to contribute their results to the database. Participating homeowners will not be identified by name; only the location of the well will be specified by latitude and longitude. The database is for applied research and education and will not be sold.

Homeowners may submit copies of their test results from a certified lab by mailing a copy of the report to Water Quality Database, Wilkes University Center for Environmental Quality, Homeowner Outreach Program, 84 W. South Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766. Homeowners are asked to include a signed consent form that allows Wilkes to include their data. The form is available at www.wilkes.edu/water. At this time, the University also is developing a streamlined process that will allow homeowners to authorize a certified lab to release their data directly to Wilkes. It is expected those details will be finalized this fall.

The Wilkes University Center for Environmental Quality, through its Homeowner Outreach Program, has been conducting water quality analysis and education for 20 years. According to the center’s director, Brian Oram, the database will meet a critical need. “Even though our groundwater resources are one of our most important assets, there is limited data on the quality and quantity of regional groundwater,” Oram, a professional geologist, explains. Since there are many private wells, they provide a more representative sampling of regional groundwater quality.

In addition to characterizing groundwater and surface water quality and serving as a resource for tracking water quality impacts, the database will be used to generate water quality educational materials. Wilkes is not conducting the actual water quality analyses because it is not a state-certified facility. Wilkes staff and faculty have the expertise to develop and maintain an accurate, impartial and independent database.

The database is managed by Oram and professors Sid Halsor and Brian Redmond in the Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences Department at Wilkes University. All three are professional geologists.

"The water quality database has the potential of becoming one of the most important natural resource databases for our region," Halsor says.

In addition to asking homeowners to submit their data, Wilkes is offering free educational materials about water quality. A free booklet, Water Quality – Your Private Well: What Do the Results Mean, offers information to help homeowners understand the results of their water quality testing. It can be downloaded by visiting www.wilkes.edu/water or by emailing eqc@wilkes.edu to request a copy