Black Hawk County outlines free private-well testing, PFAS work and $1M HUD lead grant

Caitlin Everett, identified as Black Hawk County Public Health director, told township residents the department provides preventive services and resources for rural families and children. "Black Hawk County Public Health is there for you," she said, and pointed residents to written materials and the department website for more detail.

Environmental health program manager Jared Carpenter described the county's private-well testing program, the contaminants the county samples and the assistance available for treatment or reconstruction. "Now this last year, we tested over 225 private wells," Carpenter said, describing tests for nitrate, coliform bacteria, arsenic, manganese and plans to expand PFAS testing. He said the program is administered in partnership with the state Department of Natural Resources and that funds have been used quickly in previous years to expand testing capacity.

Carpenter also detailed on-site wastewater oversight, time-of-transfer septic inspections triggered by home sales, alternative septic systems for constrained sites and pumper inspections. On lead prevention, county staff described a childhood lead-poisoning prevention program, referrals to nurses and developmental services, and a HUD capacity-building grant. County staff said the HUD award is "just over $1,000,000 for three years" to help the health department and inspectors build capacity to identify and remediate lead hazards across Black Hawk County and partner counties.

Public-health staff urged residents with private wells or concerns about radon or cancer clusters to take the free or low-cost testing options and to contact the department for help accessing mitigation or further testing.