When a Connecticut mother watched her two sons struggle with ongoing stomach troubles, she tried everything — changing their diet, vitamins, and multiple doctor visits — but nothing seemed to help. The breakthrough came from an unexpected place: their well.

Through UConn Extension’s affordable testing program, the family discovered their drinking water was contaminated with coliform bacteria. After treating the well, the mother recalls, “All three of us got better within days! It’s made a big difference to us.”

For this family, water quality wasn’t an abstract issue. It was the difference between illness and health, worry and peace of mind.

Stories like this are why UConn Extension has built a statewide network of water programs that reach into homes, farms, and town halls. Together, they protect one of Connecticut’s most precious resources and demonstrate how even small, local actions can ripple outward into far-reaching impacts.

Nearly a quarter of Connecticut residents rely on private wells, many of them decades old and never screened for modern contaminants. That leaves families vulnerable to invisible threats like arsenic, uranium, nitrates, and lead. UConn Extension, through the Connecticut Institute of Water Resources (CT IWR), makes it easier for residents to test their water, understand the results, and take action. Led by extension educator Mike Dietz and supported by extension staff member Alec Janis, the program is filling a critical gap in public health.

“Even if your water tastes and smells fine, that doesn’t always mean that it is safe to drink,” says Dietz. “The burden falls on the homeowner to make sure that their water is safe for their family.”

Clean water depends on more than what flows through a pipe or a well. It’s shaped by the land around us — how towns are built, how farms are managed, how rainfall moves through soil. That’s why Extension’s reach encompasses land use planning and agriculture, bridging the local with the systemic.

UConn’s Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) helps municipalities see how zoning and development choices affect water resources. Through its NEMO (Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials) program, towns learn how simple practices like rain gardens, green infrastructure, and pervious pavements can prevent polluted runoff and protect environments and communities.

On farms, water is both a lifeline and challenge. Too much rain means runoff and erosion; too little stresses crops and livestock. Extension specialists work with farmers to fine-tune irrigation, improve nutrient management, and conserve soil. Every adjustment reduces risk and builds resilience.

The results of these interconnected efforts speak for themselves. UConn Extension has helped drive a 68% increase in farmland adopting water-protective practices. Nearly 5,000 residents have been educated on water issues, and there’s been a 65% growth in households taking proactive steps to safeguard their supply.

When well water testing, land use planning, agriculture, food safety, and public health programs work together, the benefits multiply. This collaborative approach means that a farmer’s irrigation water, a homeowner’s well, and a town’s watershed plan all support one another in keeping water clean. And in the face of climate change and development pressures, this collective impact is what will keep Connecticut’s streams, lakes, and drinking water safe for generations to come.

For the family who finally found relief after years of illness, safe water means health, stability, and peace of mind. For the thousands of Connecticut residents impacted by UConn Extension’s water programs, it means something even bigger: a resilient future built on the simple, powerful foundation of clean water.