Join Us at the 2025 Private Well Conference!
Our sister program, PrivateWellClass.org, is holding the 2025 Private Well Conference in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, from May 20-22. The conference is returning for the first time since 2022, when it was a virtual event, and is in-person for the first time since 2019! The inaugural conference was held in-person in 2017 while it was also held virtually in 2021.
Throughout all of this, the mission of the Private Well Conference has remained the same: To serve those who work with wells by providing information and insights that can be taken home and used to benefit well owners. Health department staff, lab personnel, extension educators, well drillers, environmental health professionals, and academic researchers are all among the audience we expect to most benefit from the conference.
We know that there is not much overlap between those who physically install/maintain wells versus septic systems. Yet, wells and septic systems are intrinsically linked. Though not quite a universal situation, most properties with one are statistically fairly likely to have the other too. This means property owners often need to know how to maintain and care for both systems, which costs time and money. In addition, the systems are linked geologically through groundwater interactions. What happens in one impacts the other.
For this reason, many other professions concerning wells and septics do have overlap. Most prominently, environmental health practitioners commonly inspect and sign off on each. Health departments frequently house records for both residential wells and septic systems. Extension educators may work in outreach programs/offices that cover both systems. Lab personnel and academics run tests and perform research on the links between these systems as well as their links to broader groundwater systems.
So, if you work in this nexus between private wells and septic systems, we would love to host you at the Private Well Conference! While, naturally, the agenda focuses heavily on private wells, our staff will be hosting one session devoted to septic systems: “Onsite Wastewater Treatment System Assessment Tool: Lessons from Two Case Studies.” We will review the OWTS assessment tool we developed in conjunction with the Rural Community Assistance Partnership, and will use two inspection case studies performed by our team to demonstrate the tool’s process and outcomes.
In addition, Cindy Brookes of RCAP will be giving a presentation introducing the national RCAP program, each of its regional divisions and their private well programs, and the impact they have providing technical assistance to communities. Again, while they will be primarily focusing on wells while at the conference, it will be a great opportunity to get connected with RCAP and learn more about what the organization can do to assist rural communities and homeowners facing dire water and wastewater challenges.
Hideyuki Terashima, representing our third sister program WaterOperator.org, will also be giving a presentation on evaluating state well & septic information for the purpose of determining potential locations for the extension of water and/or sewer lines.”
See the rest of the conference’s agenda here. »
Another great reason to consider attending the conference is that registration is entirely free! That means the only costs to attendees are transportation, lodging, and meals. Bloomington-Normal is served most conveniently by a regional airport and downtown Amtrak service, as well as O’Hare and Midway International Airports in Chicago.
Find more transportation information here. »
We hope to see you at the conference! For further information, check the Private Well Conference website, email us at info@privatewellclass.org or info@decentralizedwastewater.org, or call us at 1-866-945-0699.