Media Release

For: Immediate Release
Date: January 15, 2008

Health Department Presents Community Partnership Award To URI Cooperative Extension Coastal Resources Institute

Today the Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) presented of the URI Cooperative Extension Coastal Resources Institute with a Community Partnership Award. HEALTH’s Community Partnership Award is presented to individuals and groups who engage in exceptional community efforts that support the mission of the Health Department.

Alyson McCann and Holly Burdett have worked with the Office of Drinking Water Quality for five years to develop a program of public assistance and education for private well owners.  Private well workshops are held during the evening in selected towns eight times per year.  Alyson and Holly provide attendees with educational materials and opportunities to discuss specific water quality problems.  They promote the importance of water quality testing and working with licensed professionals to solve private well problems.  With a limited budget, they developed poster boards that are placed at town halls and libraries, and an educational video that airs on the Cox Communications local bulletin board channel.  They also offer continuing education for realtors whose purchase or sale contracts involve a private well as a source of water.

Alyson and Holly have taken a lead role in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) New England Private Well Initiative, providing coordination and support for conferences in New Hampshire and at Newport, Rhode Island in December, 2007.  The educational materials developed by URI Cooperative Extension are used as working examples by other New England States when developing similar materials.

By gathering and sharing ideas, Alyson and Holly have made educational assistance for private well owners into a fully tooled program in Rhode Island.  Links to educational materials and evening workshop dates for private well owners are available on the Health website at
http://www.health.ri.gov/environment/dwq/privatewell.php.