Press Release: SWCD Water Test Kits

Beltrami Soil and Water Conservation District

Date: September 24, 2026

FREE Well Water Test Kits – Blackduck Leevers Foods

Well Aware is conducting a clinic to distribute free water kits to help private well owners test for lead, arsenic, and bacteria in their ground water. Residents can come to Leveers Foods in Blackduck at 288 Frontage Rd, Blackduck, MN on September 29th from 3pm-6pm to pick up their free water test kit. Residents can also bring a half cup water sample in a clean container on September 29th if they would like a free, on-the-spot nitrate screening. (To collect the nitrate sample, people should run their tap water for 5 minutes before collecting the sample on the morning of the 29th. If you have a treatment system to remove nitrate or a reverse osmosis system, people can collect 2 nitrate water samples for the 29th. One before the treatment system and one after to check if the system is working.)

Filled test kits for bacteria, lead, and arsenic should be returned to the Well Aware Team at Blackduck Leveers Foods on October 1st from 11am-1pm. Instructions on water sample collection will be given at the event.

This event is brought to you by Well Aware and local partner organizations. Well Aware is part of the Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership to raise awareness about water quality in our area. Part of that work is providing free water testing kits to private well owners and giving out information about potential health issues that can be caused by poor water quality. This is brought to you by these organizations: Minnesota Extension Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, West Polk Soil and Water Conservation District, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Beltrami County Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Hubbard County Soil and Water Conservation District, & Minnesota Extension Private Well Education Program.

Questions? Please Contact: Collin Murphy at 218-281-6070; (collin.murphy@wpolk.mnswcd.org) or Crystal Rayamajhi at 218-236-2009 (craya@umn.edu) with any questions.