Using the occasion of National Groundwater Awareness Week March 6-12, Newtown Health District Director Donna Culbert cautioned Newtown residents - especially the majority of local homes relying on well water - to examine whether they are doing enough to conserve the resource following a winter that delivered very little residual snow melt to fortify underground water tables.

"Although Newtown has a public water service line with many spurs running through the community, and several small water companies that serve select areas of town, those sources along with at least two-thirds of Newtown's home wells are groundwater fed," the health official said.

While most residents are likely pleased that the region experienced a very mild winter, Ms Culbert is concerned that minimal snowfall will result in overtaxing groundwater that feeds local wells and water systems.

"It's not too early to begin what I like to call mindful preservation," Ms Culbert said. "Water is a precious resource, so if we want to enjoy the quality, we need to protect the quantity."

Ms Culbert said water-related misfortunes like the lead infiltration disaster in Flint, Mich., and the long California drought that triggered strict water use controls last year have more people thinking about water.

"Connecticut has been lucky," she said. "Until you feel the pain of forced water conservation, you have no idea about how much we take turning on that tap and getting a cold, clean drink for granted."

Having worked closely with water providers and several agencies tasked with overseeing the quality of Connecticut and Newtown's water, Ms Culbert is confident that forced conservation measures or the type of incident that continues to play out in Michigan will not happen here.

"Out state and local agencies keep a keen eye on our water systems," she said.

Newtown is also fortunate to have a water testing lab right in town. Aqua Environmental is located at the intersection of Church Hill and Commerce Roads.

"The good thing about the folks at Aqua is, they are very familiar with trends that develop in our local water systems. So when people call them about discoloration, odors, sediment, or other concerns, they are usually right on top of it," Ms Culbert said.

A typical water test - which should be performed on all home wells every one to two years - typically yields basic results in as little as 24 to 48 hours, while more detailed results or complex requirements could take a week or more to deliver, the health official said.

Radon is one elusive element Ms Culbert says occasionally shows up in home water tests.

"The problem with radon is, it can appear very selectively - so your test may come up clean while your next-door neighbor may have radon in their water, just like radon can appear in random homes with no rhyme or reason," she said.

In one round of local radon testing of 50 homes, Ms Culbert said four came up with radon but there was no proximity or relation among the properties. She said that an event as random as a heavy passing rainstorm can prompt enough runoff to introduce coliform bacteria into a home water well.

"Detected in a typical home water test, the presence of coliform is a sign that your home well can be infiltrated by contaminants," Ms Culbert said. Even having work done on a well or water system can introduce enough contaminants to require treating the water with chlorine, she said.

According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH), 23 percent of the state's population is served by their own private residential well.

The DPH asks those with a private well to take some time during this week to locate their well, inspect it for structural deficiencies, evaluate surrounding land uses to protect it from contamination, and most importantly to have your well tested.

Thousands of Connecticut residents rely on groundwater supplies every day for drinking, cooking, bathing, cleaning, agriculture, cooling, and heating. National Groundwater Awareness Week is an annual observance sponsored by the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) that stresses how important groundwater is to the health of all people and the environment.

For more information on what to look for when inspecting a well, having well water tested, how often to test, and common well contaminants and water treatment options, check out the State of Connecticut Department of Public Health's Private Well Program website.