LOCAL GOVERNMENT EFFORTS TO PROTECT PRIVATE WELL USERS IN WAKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

Wake County, North Carolina is a growing county with a population of over 1 million residents, nearly 15 percent of whom rely on private wells for their water supply. The county also has nearly 2500 sites with human-caused soil or groundwater contamination, and a large portion of the county is prone to elevated levels of naturally-occurring radionuclides. To protect well users, the county has instituted a proactive program to identify drinking water contamination risks and incorporate knowledge of those sources into well permitting decisions and outreach and technical assistance to well users. The program continues to evolve in response to lessons learned and develop new mechanisms to assist well users in addressing contamination.