UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The first Pennsylvania Private Water Well Symposium will be held by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences on Oct. 2 at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel on the University Park campus.

Covering a range of topics involving private water systems throughout Pennsylvania, the symposium will be sponsored by Penn State's Master Well Owner Network -- a group of trained volunteers dedicated to promoting the proper construction and maintenance of private water systems in Pennsylvania. The event aims to promote better management of private water systems by helping professionals in the field integrate the latest research and educational efforts into their work.

The symposium, which begins at 9 a.m. and concludes around 4:30 p.m., will focus on ground water quality related to private water wells, ground-water supply and protection, and legal and regulatory issues. The conference is designed for extension educators, private sector professionals, master well owners and other water resource educators.

"In a state where nearly a million households rely on private water supplies, the importance of this symposium could not be greater," says Stephanie Clemens, research assistant for the Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment and coordinator of the Master Well Owners Network. "Because of its importance, the symposium is also sponsored by the state Department of Environmental Protection, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Pennsylvania Ground Water Association, the Penn State School of Forest Resources, the Western Pennsylvania Watershed Program and the Water Systems Council."

Symposium registration is $25 for Master Well Owner Network volunteers and $40 for all other attendees. These reduced registration rates will be given to the first 100 people who register for the event. After the first 100 people are registered, the rate will increase to $70 for everyone.

For more information about the symposium or the Master Well Owner Network, contact Stephanie Clemens at 814-865-2250 or by e-mail at mwon@psu.edu or visit the Master Well Owners Network Web site at http://mwon.cas.psu.edu.

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Writer Vince Rome

Editor Jeff Mulhollem: 814-863-2719 jjm29@psu.edu