Meet A Monitor: Jo Ann Sadler

Jo Ann Sadler is a Nitrate Watch volunteer from rural northwest Iowa. Like many residents of rural Iowa, Jo Ann’s surroundings are dominated by agricultural fields and she doesn’t live far from a concentrated animal feeding operation. Also like many rural Iowans, Jo Ann’s drinking water comes from a private groundwater well.

Before Jo Ann got involved with Nitrate Watch, she hadn’t tested her well’s water in years. The water looked fine and smelled fine, so there didn’t seem to be a reason to test. It wasn’t until she got involved in a clean water book club with Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (or Iowa CCI) that Jo Ann got the idea that she should test her well water more often. The books chosen for Iowa CCI’s book club like Jennifer Wilson’s Water and Chris Jones’ Swine Republic presented some eye-opening revelations about the reality of Iowa’s water quality.

Using the Private Well Grants Program, a service provided by the Iowa Department of Health & Human Services, Jo Ann was able to get her well tested for free. The results surprised her. Among other contaminants, the nitrate levels in Jo Ann’s drinking water were above the 10 mg/L standard set by the US EPA.

To provide safe drinking water for herself and her family, Jo Ann invested in a reverse osmosis system for her tap water. Since her water comes from a private well (as opposed to a public drinking water system), Jo Ann was responsible for footing this bill on her own. Testing the water for contaminants is also Jo Ann’s responsibility as a private well owner. Jo Ann describes the financial burden and lack of awareness surrounding well water quality and treatment – “So much more needs to be done to educate the public. Rural residents should be reminded and encouraged to do annual testing. There needs to be government involvement in public service announcements to get people to test their well water and treat it accordingly. There should also be government help in paying for reverse osmosis systems if they are needed.”

It can be discouraging living in an area that hasn’t historically valued water quality and conservation, but Iowa CCI’s water testing group has provided a source of encouragement and community. Jo Ann is one of roughly 70 Iowa CCI members participating in Nitrate Watch monitoring. Since October 2023, Jo Ann has regularly measured nitrate levels in her tap water and reported her readings to the Clean Water Hub database. This testing, which is supplemental to the annual testing offered by Iowa’s Private Well Grants Program, arms Jo Ann with important information about the safety of her drinking water. It also contributes to the Nitrate Watch dataset, helping all of us better understand the prevalence and impact of nitrate pollution in communities nationwide.

Want to know more about nitrate levels in the waterways near you? Request a free Nitrate Watch kit and monitor the surface water and drinking water you care about. Visit www.nitratewatch.org to get started.