| Become a Fan on Facebook! |
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Connect with other well owners. Click on the facebook logo and follow the link, or search "wellcare Well Owners Network" from your Facebook page.
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| Did You Know? |
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The best time to water your lawn is early in the morning on a calm day. |
| Congratulations to our Coloring Contest Winners! |
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We loved your coloring pages so much, we couldn't choose just one winner! Three children received copies of our children's book, The Big Rig. They are:
CHLOE STONE CLUFF
Age 3
Boise, ID
BEN SMITH
Age 5
Xenia, OH
JULIANA SMITH
Age 10
Xenia, OH |
| Have you been impacted by recent flooding in the New England area? |
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Contact the wellcare® Hotline at 1-888-395-1033 with any questions about managing your well and safeguarding your drinking water after a flood. |
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Learn more about WSC. Click here to visit our website. | |
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Dear Well Owner,
The wellcare® Well Owners Network is ONE YEAR OLD, and we hope you have enjoyed being a part of our first year! To celebrate, we're offering a FREE GIFT to members of the Well Owners Network who refer their friends and neighbors to join. See the first article below for more information.
Spring has sprung! In this issue, you will find tips to help you "go green" in the garden, and your annual reminder to test your water - plus information on how to get a discounted well test kit. In the Kids Corner, your children can test their knowledge of the water cycle. (It might be a good refresher for us grownups too!)
Facebook Users: Check us out on Facebook! Become a fan and ask your friends to do the same. Click the link in the lefthand margin of this newsletter or search "wellcare well owners network" from your Facebook page.
And as always, if you have a question about your well or your well water, contact the FREE wellcare® hotline at 1-888-395-1033 or www.wellcarehotline.org.
Sincerely,
Water Systems Council -- the only national organization solely focused on wells and well water. |
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Help us Grow the Well Owners Network! More than a thousand people have joined the wellcare® Well Owners Network over the past year. Thank you for being a part of our network! You can help us reach more well owners by telling your friends, family and neighbors about us.
As a special "thank you," we will send you a FREE GIFT. Make sure your friends and neighbors tell us that you referred them, and be sure we have your correct mailing address so we can send you your prize (you can update your contact information below - click "Update Profile" at the bottom of this e-mail).
Do you know well owners who don't have Internet access? Now they can join too and we will mail them a copy of our e-newsletter. Ask them to contact the wellcare® Hotline at 1-888-395-1033. |
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Environmental Corner:
"Go Green" in Your Garden! When caring for your lawn and garden this spring, consider swapping the usual pesticides and fertilizers for more natural alternatives. Doing so can keep your yard and plants healthy, while reducing the chance that chemicals can seep into the ground and reach the groundwater.
If you do use chemicals, follow guidelines for proper use and disposal. Don't use too much - excess chemicals won't be absorbed and may runoff into storm drains and eventually reach our water supplies. Store pesticides and fertilizers in their original containers and out of reach of children and pets. Dispose of pesticides properly. Bring unwanted pesticides to a hazardous waste collection site. For more information on this topic, see the wellcare® information sheet on "Proper Use and Disposal of Pesticides and Fertilizers," available on the WSC website or through the wellcare® Hotline.
Composting is another way to improve the soil in your lawn and garden, while also preventing plant diseases and reducing harmful greenhouse gases. To get started:
- Choose a container (at least 3 feet tall by 3 feet long by 3 feet wide) made of wood or another sturdy material and place it in a shady spot in your yard with good drainage.
- Add waste in a ratio of 25 parts "brown" (carbon-rich materials such as wood chips, straw, branches, leaves and shredded newspaper) to one part "green" (nitrogen-rich materials such as grass clippings, coffee grounds and filters, and kitchen scraps like eggshells and carrot tops). A list of possible composting materials and their estimated carbon-to-nitrogen ratios can be found at http://www.composting101.com/c-n-ratio.html.
- When adding new material, dig a hole in the pile and stir in the new material so it gets coated with the old mixture.
- If your compost becomes too smelly, add more browns to the pile.
- Check the moisture level occasionally. It should feel like a wrung-out sponge. If it's too dry, let rain even out the moisture. If it's too wet, add a few more browns.
- The compost should be ready to use when it is dark brown and has an earthy aroma. You should not be able to recognize any of the items you put in there. The process could take anywhere from a few months to a year.
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wellcare® Tips:
It's Time to Test Your Water! It's that time of year again...time for spring cleaning, time to change the batteries in your smoke detector, and time to test your water! Regular testing is an important maintenance tool to keep your drinking water clean and your well operating at peak performance.
Test your water once a year for bacteria. Other tests may be required depending on where you live and what is located near your drinking water. Contact your local health department for a list of licensed laboratories in your area.
You can also order a drinking water test kit from UL Drinkwell. Well Owners Network members can save 10% using the promo code listed at the bottom of this newsletter. Several wellcare® information sheets and your local health department can tell you how to treat for many water contaminants. You can also call the wellcare® Hotline for assistance at 1-888-395-1033.
Spring is also a good time to inspect your wellhead and well cap, and make sure the area around your well is protected. Here's a quick checklist:
- Make sure the well cap is fastened tightly.
- Keep debris away from the well.
- Take care to keep contaminants away from your well. Even small spills of pesticides, fertilizers or fuels near your well can seep into the ground.
- Close and seal any old wells on your property to keep contaminants from entering your drinking water supply.
- Ask your water well professional to inspect your well system regularly. Keep a log of all inspections, tests or maintenance.
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Kids Corner: Label the Water Cycle
Fill in the blanks below with the correct stage of the water cycle pictured above. Choose from the following: condensation, evaporation, precipitation and collection. A:___________________ B:___________________ C:___________________ D:___________________
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