Free Nitrate Screening in Finley on August 4th

The Benton-Franklin Health District is hosting a free nitrate screening tomorrow for landowners who have privately-owned wells.

Environmental Health Specialist JoDee Peyton said while having a deep well can help, it isn’t necessarily a guarantee of safety.

“People who are doing farming practices; fertilizing, they have a lot of animals. They might have a leaking septic system. Those are practices that can also put nitrates into the ground.”

Nitrate poisoning has been linked to birth defects, miscarriages and blue baby syndrome.

Peyton noted that it’s also not just humans that are effected.

“It is known that high nitrate levels cause farm animals to abort their babies early, not be able to give a live birth.”

To get water tested, an owner of private well needs to bring two cups of water in a clean container to Shooter Sports Bar in Finley between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 4^th.

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