Free well water screening offered in Finley

Free screening of well water for nitrates will be offered at Family Science Night at the Finley Middle School 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12.

Owners of private wells should bring two cups of well water that has had no treatment in a clean glass or plastic container for testing by the Benton-Franklin Health District. The school is at 37208 S. Finley Road.

Public water supplies are routinely tested for nitrate contamination, but private domestic wells are not.

Nitrates have been found at levels unsafe for humans or livestock in wells in rural Benton County. The chemical, a by-product of fertilizer and animal waste, has been linked to birth defects, miscarriages and blue baby syndrome, according to the health district.

This story was originally published October 11, 2016 at 1:57 PM with the headline "Free well water screening offered in Finley."