To determine the quality of your farm's drinking water yourself, check out Purdue University's extension publication WQ-22, Indiana Farmstead Assessment for Drinking Water Protection.
“If you were to hire someone to do a typical environmental assessment, it would cost $500-600,” says Brett Ladd, Purdue extension water quality specialist. “The real strengths of this material are that it asks all the right questions, allows you to do the assessment at no cost and is confidential.”
The assessment takes about half an hour. Once the assessment is complete, farmers can refer to resources within the publication to help them correct problems.
To obtain an information packet, call 888-398-4636 and ask for the Media Distribution Center or visit www.ecn.purdue.edu/SafeWater.