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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Prisoners in their own home How do you feel about new cell towers? Oregon Shakespeare Festival designer for a half-century says he's still learning Louie's to donate sales to Helman Hug Fund Ashland High School Drama Club to host Showcase Night on Thursday Education Prisoners in their own home Louie's to donate sales to Helman Hug Fund Ashland High School Drama Club to host Showcase Night on Thursday Ashland Kiwanis recognizes Samara Diab Hands-On work with robots at ScienceWorks Environment Wild Side: Selfish and other reasons for saving endangered species Mt. Ashland Ski Area: Low snow closes 'bunny hill' chairlift for beginning skiers With pre-season conditions worst in 25 years, catastrophic wildfires expected in region this summer Legislature might be divided on clean fuels bill, but these Ashlanders weren't Ashland Rowing Club members put their backs into Emigrant Lake clean-up Business Breaking ground on organic vineyard practices Southern Oregon University: Recent and pending projects at SOU total about $132 million Test Drive: 2015 Subaru Outback Limited Silvio Calabi: 2015 Cherokee is a modern Jeep Ride & Drive: 2015 Hyundai Genesis Politics and elections Short-term rental restrictions kept in some areas, loosened in others Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US Mark L. Hopkins: Looking for a political straight shooter Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Ballots on Jackson County marijuana tax go out today State News Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Kate Brown sworn in as Oregon's 38th governor Nation - World Leonard Nimoy, famous as Mr. Spock on 'Star Trek,' dies Obituaries Death Notices Shiela R. Ettlich Karen June Shaw Death Notices Death Notices Shareable Bank of America is predicting a massive Tesla collapse Mars One attracts science fiction geeks and people who hate society Sports Latest Stories Wade scores 32, Heat rally to beat Blazers AHS grad Bailey claims national wrestling title Ashland boys capture another Sato Cup snowboard title at Mt. Bachelor Fredrickson leads Grizzlies to season-opening romp Thompson, Weber to play in all-star game High school Ashland boys capture another Sato Cup snowboard title at Mt. Bachelor Fredrickson leads Grizzlies to season-opening romp Grizz alpine skiers finish strong at state Ashland High's Honsinger tops field in final nordic ski meet Grizz snowboard team heads to state with repeat potential Southern Oregon University AHS grad Bailey claims national wrestling title Thompson, Weber to play in all-star game Beavers get No. 3 seed, host NCAA games Young shoots Ducks into Pac-12 title game Raider softball team opens league play with split at Northwest Voices Latest Stories Landgren cartoon: Boston gets a ‘Frozen’ sequel Our View: SOU's economic clout Letters to the Editor, March 18 Letters to the Editor, March 17 Landgren cartoon: Sunshine Week Editorial Our View: SOU's economic clout Our view: Keep it simple in developing marijuana rules Our View: Ashland is at risk as a bad fire season looms Our View: Ashland backs residents over visitors in lodging decision Our View: No need for blame in Hannah Thomas-Garner case Letters Letters to the Editor, March 18 Letters to the Editor, March 17 Letters to the Editor, March 14 Letters to the Editor, March 12 Letters to the Editor, March 11 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Guest Opinion: More reasons to oppose Jordan Cove Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Guest Opinion: Ashland schools failed to protect my son from bullying Guest Opinion: There is nothing uniform about the Uniform Crime Report Columns Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Council Corner: City considers the sharing economy Herb Rothschild Jr.: Demonizing Putin makes case for war Guest Opinion: More reasons to oppose Jordan Cove Jeffrey Gillespie: The opaqueness of Hillary Clinton Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Herzog scholarship for young writers Movie listings: March 13-18 Nitty Gritty Dirt Band co-founder John McEuen performs at the Unitarian Fellowship in Ashland Thanks for the Memories presents 'Anastasia' Community blog: Take a peek at poet Scott Wozniak Theater Oregon Shakespeare Festival designer for a half-century says he's still learning Ashland High School Drama Club to host Showcase Night on Thursday Theater review: Thanks for the Memories pulls off challenging 'Anastasia' in Ashland Ticket availability Ticket Availability Music The Farr Side: Madonna — ever the trendsetter Nitty Gritty Dirt Band co-founder John McEuen performs at the Unitarian Fellowship in Ashland Alice DiMicele plays Unitarian Fellowship The Farr Side: Another career highlight for Kelly Clarkson Music on the Mountain: Ski area launching concert series Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies 8 must-see spring films Movie review: ‘Wrecking Crew’ is a look at the people who really put the bomp Movie review: ‘Cinderella’ is an instant classic Shailene Woodley returns as Tris in ‘Insurgent’ Movie listings: March 13-18 Food and Drink Sammich does it Chicago-style Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Oregon Shakespeare Festival designer for a half-century says he's still learning Page H. Onorato: How food names came into being Tammy Kelly: Healthy leftover ham Lost in Suburbia: Top 10 reasons I like my dog better than my kids Dear Monty: Tips for checking out an existing septic system Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Louie's to donate sales to Helman Hug Fund ... Ashland High School Drama Club to host Showcase Night on Thursday ... Our View: SOU's economic clout ... Louie's to donate sales to Helman Hug Fund ... Ashland High School Drama Club to host Showcase Night on Thursday ... Our View: SOU's economic clout ... GUEST OPINION Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Comment By Amy Sager Patton DailyTidings.com By Amy Sager Patton Posted Mar. 11, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Amy Sager Patton Posted Mar. 11, 2015 at 12:01 AM What do you think? --> Have an opinion on this topic? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter... » Read more X What do you think? Have an opinion on this topic? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter or email [email protected] . » Social News Of all the water available on Earth, only 1 percent is available for our use. And of the useable 1 percent, 99 percent comes from groundwater. Only 0.86 percent of freshwater is present in lakes, and 0.02 percent is in rivers. These facts, published by the National Groundwater Association, are surprising to those unfamiliar with the vastness of groundwater reservoirs beneath the surface of the earth, reservoirs that are sometimes left out of basin water quality protection efforts. However, with 25 to 50 percent of Oregon’s population depending on groundwater for their drinking water supply, and 3,800 new wells being drilled in Oregon each year, this resource has earned some recognition. Rural residents are familiar with how water from one well might have a sulfur odor, another might contain boron, which kills their plants, and another might contain minerals that create hardness leading to the use of water softening units. But there are other, tasteless and odorless, constituents in groundwater that should also be on our radar here in the Rogue Valley. arsenic and fluoride occur naturally in the groundwater in certain areas. A Department of Environmental Quality study conducted in 2011 detected arsenic in 44 percent of 36 wells tested in Jackson County. Elevated fluoride was detected in 3 percent of wells tested. The Environmental Protection Agency‘s cancer-related health advisory is two micrograms per liter of arsenic, a concentration associated with a 1 in 10,000 cancer probability. Fluoride, commonly viewed as a positive constituent in our diets, is a concern for children when present at concentrations above 2 milligrams per liter (mg/l) — and can cause mottling of teeth. Concentrations above 4 mg/l can cause skeletal fluorosis in adults or increase the likelihood of bone fractures. A total coliform test costs about $40 and should be conducted annually. Often the source of bacterial contamination of a well is localized and can be treated at the source. Nitrate in groundwater is more often present in large areas — related to densely located septic systems, malfunctioning systems, or agricultural practices, past or present. There are many areas of the Rogue Valley with elevated nitrate. Concentrations of 10 mg/l and above can cause “blue baby syndrome” in infants, and affect pregnant or nursing mothers and the elderly. Elevated nitrate is also an indicator that other contaminants may have entered your well. Well safety information is available on the Oregon Health Authority’s Domestic Well Safety Program (DWSP) website at http://healthoregon.org/wells . In addition, DWSP and JSWCD will  host several free nitrate testing events in the coming months. Bring a cold sample of your well water to the April 25 Rogue Valley Earth Day and/or the OSU Master Gardener Spring Fair on May 2-3 and find out about your nitrate concentrations on the spot. Visit www.jswcd.org for additional events yet to be scheduled. To reduce inputs of nitrate to groundwater, technical support for agricultural best management practices is available through Oregon State University and the Jackson Soil & Water Conservation Service. Septic systems ideally should be pumped every two or three years, depending on household size and use. Licensed pumpers can give advice about the need for maintenance. Don’t drive over your septic drainfield and do limit what goes down your drain. Chemicals and excessive chlorine can kill the bacteria that make your system work and can percolate down into the groundwater and perhaps to your well. Great resources are available at http://wellwater.oregonstate.edu . Take action this Groundwater Awareness Week: Test your well water, pump your septic tank and take steps to ensure your fertilizer and irrigation use matches your crop needs. If you don’t have a well or septic system, be grateful that groundwater provides a reservoir that, if kept clean and protected, will be there when we need it. Amy Sager Patton, R.G., is a hydrogeologist with Patton Environmental LLC. She managed the DEQ Groundwater Protection Program for eight years and has worked as an environmental consultant in seven states conducting contaminant assessments, site cleanups and public education events.     By Amy Sager Patton DailyTidings.com By Amy Sager Patton Posted Mar. 11, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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