Pennsylvania Ground Water Association’s Summer Field Conference
on Friday, June 11, 2010 at Rock Springs (near State College), PA

Master Well Owner Network

The Master Well Owner Network (MWON) is an organization of trained volunteers dedicated to promoting the proper construction, maintenance, and management of private water systems (wells, springs, and cisterns) in Pennsylvania. Since its inception, the MWON has educated thousands of homeowners. The MWON is divided into six regions, as illustrated below.

     Regions of the Master Well Owner Network

The MWON is sponsored by the Penn State Institutes of the Environment and is facilitated locally by Penn State Cooperative Extension. Project partners include the Pennsylvania Ground Water Association, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Pennsylvania Rural Water Association. Funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service.

The MWON was the 2005 recipient of the National Ground Water Association’s “Outstanding Ground Water Project Award for Ground Water Protection.” Congratulations!

Master well owner training event Conducting a pumping test to determine well yield

Well water quality testing

Kristin M. Carter, P.G., Certified Master Well Owner

Kristin Carter, senior geologic scientist for the Pennsylvania Geological Survey, is a certified Master Well Owner for Washington County.

Do you have a question regarding your private water supply or the Master Well Owner program in general? Simply visit our Pittsburgh Regional Office, call Kristin Carter at 412–442–4234, or send her an email. You can apply to become a Master Well Owner by filling out an application on the MWON website or by contacting contact Stephanie Clemens or email MWON at mwon@psu.edu. Pennsylvania residents can contact the MWON at 814– 865–2250, and Maryland residents can phone 301–405–5405.

Popular MWON Publications*

• Drilling a New Well (372 KB)
• Private Water System Management (74 KB)
• Best Management Practices for Private Water Systems (278 KB)

Want to find out more?

If you'd like to learn more about groundwater, wells, and water quality, visit the Groundwater or PaGWIS sections of the Pennsylvania Geological Survey’s web site. Or you can visit the Master Well Owner Network web site to find out about the MWON program and view current newsletters, fact sheets, and brochures.

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