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CORVALLIS - The Oregon State University Extension Well Water Program is offering free well water screening for nitrate at the Lane County Fair. The testing will be at the Watershed Councils booth in the Wheeler Pavilion every day of the fair, Aug. 12-17, from 2 to 6 p.m.

For the nitrate test, bring about a cup of untreated well water in a clean container. Information on how to care for your drinking water well and septic system will available. "This service is being offered because many wells in the southern Willamette Valley have nitrates above the natural level," said Gail Andrews, director of the program. "Frequently, residents don't know about it."

Nitrate levels in the area north of Eugene are high enough that Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has begun the process to declare a Groundwater Management Area, said Andrews.

For more information on the groundwater in the Eugene area, stop by the booth at the fair or visit the web site: http://groundwater.oregonstate.edu/willamette.