Last Updated on September 19, 2025 by Brenda

You trust your tap water, but do you know its full story? More importantly, are you truly prepared if something goes wrong with your drinking supply? On a recent, essential episode of Health IQ, host Brenda Bishop, alongside our Climate and Health Project Coordinator Billy Billingsley, explored how you can take control of your drinking water safety.

The Rules of the Tap: Public vs. Private

Most of us in Quay County rely on public water systems. These systems are governed by strict federal and state regulations, including the Safe Drinking Water Act, which mandates annual testing for numerous contaminants and requires them to provide a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) to their customers. This is your annual report card for your water!

However, a key point highlighted in our discussion is the private well loophole. If your water comes from your own well, it is not subject to these federal regulations. This means the responsibility for testing for contaminants like arsenic and uranium (which can cause serious health issues like various cancers, kidney damage, and birth defects) falls entirely on you. Knowing your water source is the first step to taking control.

Bridging the Notification Gap: Are You Getting the Alerts?

Even with regulations in place, ensuring everyone receives critical information is a challenge in today’s world where people have disconnected to local . Our Health Council’s work revealed language barriers as a significant disparity, impacting how emergency notifications reach our diverse communities. Beyond that, many people opt for paperless billing, missing crucial inserts in their water bills.

This brings us to the core of “taking control”: proactively signing up for direct, rapid alerts.

Your Power Tools for Water Safety & Notification:

There are some invaluable tools designed to get you vital information quickly:

Consumer Confidence Report (CCR): This is your annual deep dive into your public water system’s test results. Learn where to find it (often online or by contacting your water provider) and make it a point to review it.

Emergency Manager Systems (Nixle & IPaws): These are game-changers for emergency communication.

Nixle: QCHC strongly recommends signing up. It’s not just for water emergencies; it covers severe weather, tornado warnings, and more. You can text your zip code to 888777 to enroll.  When an event occurs that affects your community,  the emergency managers can send out texts like a road or bridge is closed or a severe storm is coming.

IPaws: This system allows the county emergency manager to target specific geographical areas with cell phone alerts, even reaching people just driving through.  You do not sign up for this and the Quay County Health Council is encouraging partnerships with water systems and the County Emergency Management.

Local Utility Systems: Some utilities, like the Village of Logan, have their own advanced notification systems. Logan’s system not only alerts you to emergencies but can also help you monitor your water usage and detect leaks, saving both water and money! You can find links to sign up for these on the QCHealthCouncil.org website.

The work being done, includes outreach to city and village councils, is about empowering communities to access this critical information. It’s about “prepare for the worst and expect the best.”

Don’t be left in the dark about your drinking water. Tune into the full Health IQ episode, “Is Your Water Hiding Something? Uncovering Your Tap’s Secrets!”, to equip yourself with the knowledge and tools to proactively manage your water safety and truly take control.

Watch this podcast here: Is You Water Hiding Something?