Nine million Floridians rely on private wells or septic systems — infrastructure that hurricanes, flooding, and storm surge can contaminate or destroy. Most of them are on their own when it comes to knowing what to do about these acute and chronic risks, which are exacerbated by climate change.

After Hurricane Irma in 2017, surveys of affected well-owning households found that most users didn’t know where to find reliable information about their systems, and nearly half didn’t know how to test or treat their water. Bacterial contamination in flooded wells was widespread. The Florida Well Owner Network (FWON) was built to close that gap, providing education, affordable water testing, and connections to local agencies and support networks before the next storm arrives.

FWON conducts in-person workshops and webinars, reaching residents across the state with practical guidance on drinking water protection and disaster preparedness. Participants receive complimentary water screening for bacteria and eleven additional parameters, with follow-up guidance for any household where contaminants are detected.

Bilingual videos and factsheets in English and Spanish will extend the reach of the program through the University of Florida’s IFAS Extension network in both online and printable formats. A parallel partnership-building effort will assess collaboration opportunities with organizations including Florida A&M University Extension and the Florida Rural Water Association. FWON plans to establish Water Clinics offering subsidized testing for workshop alumni, and is exploring a citizen science initiative that would engage residents in ongoing well monitoring while generating data useful to regional water management agencies.

This approach is deliberately proactive. Building knowledge, relationships, and testing habits before disasters occur means residents are better positioned to respond quickly when their water supply is at risk rather than scrambling for guidance in the middle of a crisis. Private well and septic users are a largely overlooked population in climate preparedness conversations, and the risks they face from extreme weather are concrete, well-documented, and addressable with the right information and support.