Southern Oregon’s Private Wells Put Drinking Water Safety in Homeowners’ Hands

East of Sutherlin, in the Nonpareil and Hinkle Creek areas of Douglas County, naturally occurring arsenic has been found at elevated levels in well water. The affected areas are among the places where Oregon health officials have urged households to test the water they drink. A glass drawn from a kitchen tap can look and taste as it always has, even when arsenic is present.