Protecting schools. Protecting well water.
For parents
Our schools, homes, golf courses and airports share a landscape. Clear records and appropriately chosen water and soil tests help families understand what is known, ask about missing information and choose water treatment informed by results. Being nearby does not establish contamination or harm.
School distance records
This earlier distance list recorded eleven private schools more than three miles from courses in that review. The early-childhood examples below retain those recorded figures; consult the current map for updated property-line distances. These are location records, not school recommendations or safety verdicts.
Creative Children's Korner
Ridgefield CT · Nursery ages 2-5
5.2
recorded miles
Tribeca Community School
Ridgefield CT · 6 weeks to 6 years
5.0
recorded miles
Hudson Country Montessori
Danbury CT · Ages 3-5
5.0
recorded miles
Katonah Village Kids
Katonah NY · Ages 2 to PreK
3.6
recorded miles
Kaleidoscope Childcare Center
Mount Kisco NY · Infant to 5
3.6
recorded miles
Questions to explore with your school
- What does the neighboring golf course spray, and where are the application records?
- Is the school on well water or municipal water, and has the water ever been tested for pesticides?
- Has the soil in play areas ever been tested?
- Where are test results published for parents to see?
- Does a nearby airport sell leaded aviation fuel, and what monitoring information is available?
- Which pesticides and metals did the water and soil tests include, and what did they leave out?
Note: New York's required school testing covers lead in drinking water only, and private schools are not subject to the mandate.
Testing, explained
Knowing what to test for makes a test more useful. Ask a qualified laboratory or environmental professional to match the substances and methods to your question, including relevant pesticides or lead. A drinking-water lead test does not identify the source of any lead found. Water and soil need different sampling plans; do not collect suspected contaminated soil without professional guidance.
Water
If a school is on well water, a pesticide panel from a state-certified lab runs a few hundred dollars per sample. Start by asking the club what it applies, then test for those chemicals.
Soil
Playground and field soil can be tested for pesticides for a few hundred dollars per sample. Ask for the school's side of the property line first.
Air
There is no off-the-shelf air test for pesticide drift. That takes an environmental firm, or working with the town and the state DEC to arrange appropriate monitoring.
For private wells, review local testing guidance and ask for the actual analyte list. Choose filters certified for the contaminants found and keep them maintained. A result below a reporting limit applies only to that substance, sample and time, not everything in the water.
Test the wells at schools within 3 miles of a course
Every school on our map sits within 3 miles of at least one golf course. Some of those schools draw their drinking water from their own well. We are asking each of them to test that well for what is used nearby, and to share the results with families.
A school that runs its own well is a regulated public water system with required monitoring. Required tests do not always include the turf products used next door, so knowing what to ask for matters.
What to ask the school
- The latest required water quality results for the school well, and the date of each test.
- Whether testing has included pesticides and herbicides used on nearby turf, PFAS, nitrate, lead, arsenic and bacteria.
- Whether the school has tested for anything beyond what the state requires, and whether results are posted publicly.
- What treatment the school uses, and how often filters and treatment equipment are maintained.
Need a certified lab? See who does these tests near us.
Schools on their own well (28)
Records checked October 22, 2026: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active non-transient non-community systems with groundwater sources, NY and CT. Matched by school name and town. A school not listed here was not found in these records; that does not mean it is on town water. Ask the school directly.
Increase Miller Elementary School
Goldens Bridge · 1 course within 3 miles
EPA system NY5907704, Increase Miller Elementary Sch, about 450 people served
John Jay High School
Cross River · 1 course within 3 miles
EPA system NY5907700, John Jay Senior High School, about 1,425 people served
John Jay Middle School
Cross River · 1 course within 3 miles
EPA system NY5907701, John Jay Middle School, about 945 people served
Somers High School
Somers · 2 courses within 3 miles
EPA system NY5907707, Somers High School, about 1,189 people served
Somers Middle School
Somers · 2 courses within 3 miles
EPA system NY5907705, Somers Middle School, about 790 people served
Somers Intermediate School
Somers · 2 courses within 3 miles
EPA system NY5907708, Somers Intermediate School, about 673 people served
Primrose Elementary School
Lincolndale · 2 courses within 3 miles
EPA system NY5907706, Primrose School, about 900 people served
Byram Hills High School
Armonk · 5 courses within 3 miles
EPA system NY5907710, Byram Hills High School, about 973 people served
North Salem Middle/High School
North Salem · 3 courses within 3 miles
EPA system NY5907716, North Salem MS/HS, about 720 people served
Pequenakonck Elementary School
North Salem · 3 courses within 3 miles
EPA system NY5907717, Pequenakonck Elementary School, about 700 people served
Rippowam Cisqua School
Bedford · 2 courses within 3 miles
EPA system NY5907718, Rippowam Cisqua School - Bedford, about 425 people served
West Patent Elementary School
Bedford Hills · 3 courses within 3 miles
EPA system NY5907720, West Patent Elementary School, about 400 people served
Fox Lane High School
Bedford · 5 courses within 3 miles
EPA system NY5907723, Fox Lane High & Middle Schools, about 3,000 people served
One system serves the shared high and middle school campus.
Fox Lane Middle School
Bedford · 5 courses within 3 miles
EPA system NY5907723, Fox Lane High & Middle Schools, about 3,000 people served
One system serves the shared high and middle school campus.
Whitby School
Greenwich · 4 courses within 3 miles
EPA system CT0570202, Whitby School, about 350 people served
Parkway School
Greenwich · 4 courses within 3 miles
EPA system CT0570212, Parkway School, about 275 people served
Brunswick School
Greenwich · 9 courses within 3 miles
EPA system CT0579123, Brunswick School (Upper Middle), about 295 people served
EPA lists the well for the Upper Middle campus; other campuses may differ.
St. Luke's School
New Canaan · 1 course within 3 miles
EPA system CT0900072, St Lukes School, about 405 people served
A second system serves the athletic center (CT0900133).
Joel Barlow High School
Redding CT · 2 courses within 3 miles
EPA system CT1170332, Joel Barlow Regional High School, about 860 people served
John Read Middle School
Redding CT · 1 course within 3 miles
EPA system CT1170342, John Read Middle School, about 430 people served
Redding Elementary School
Redding CT · 1 course within 3 miles
EPA system CT1170352, Redding Elementary School, about 811 people served
Ridgefield High School
Ridgefield CT · 2 courses within 3 miles
EPA system CT1180382, Ridgefield High and Middle School, about 2,575 people served
EPA names one system for the high and middle school.
Scotts Ridge Middle School
Ridgefield CT · 2 courses within 3 miles
EPA system CT1180382, Ridgefield High and Middle School, about 2,575 people served
EPA names one system for the high and middle school.
Weston High School
Weston CT · 2 courses within 3 miles
EPA system CT1570132, Weston Schools and Municipal Buildings, about 2,600 people served
One system serves the Weston school campus and municipal buildings.
Weston Middle School
Weston CT · 2 courses within 3 miles
EPA system CT1570132, Weston Schools and Municipal Buildings, about 2,600 people served
One system serves the Weston school campus and municipal buildings.
Weston Intermediate School
Weston CT · 2 courses within 3 miles
EPA system CT1570132, Weston Schools and Municipal Buildings, about 2,600 people served
One system serves the Weston school campus and municipal buildings.
Hurlbutt Elementary School
Weston CT · 2 courses within 3 miles
EPA system CT1570132, Weston Schools and Municipal Buildings, about 2,600 people served
One system serves the Weston school campus and municipal buildings.
Children's Day School
Wilton CT · 1 course within 3 miles
EPA system CT1610202, Childrens Day School of Wilton, about 96 people served
Being on a well near a course is a reason to test and ask, not proof of contamination or harm.
The next generation
Student ambassadors
Good questions belong at every grade level. With adult support, students can learn how to be informed neighbors and take care of our shared home together.
A program for students at all grade levels to learn how to ask informed questions, understand school disclosures and participate respectfully in their communities. Parent-led for minors, student-led for adults.
A place at every age
Elementary school
With a parent or guardian, explore where drinking water comes from and bring thoughtful questions to a school conversation.
Middle school
With adult support, compare what a school publishes with what families want to know. Keep unanswered questions separate from evidence.
High school
Review public records, help prepare school transparency questions and draft respectful letters to school leaders or legislators with adult supervision.
College and beyond
Help organize sources, explain disclosure gaps and support younger students through adult-coordinated activities.
Big ideas, simple words
- What is a pesticide?
- A product used to control weeds, insects or plant diseases. Some help keep golf grass healthy. They need careful use because some can also harm people, animals or plants.
- What is runoff?
- Rainwater that flows over the ground. It can carry things from the surface into streams or ponds. Being nearby does not tell us what is in the water.
- What is spray drift?
- When tiny drops of a spray move away from the place being treated. Wind, weather and how a product is applied can affect where those drops go.
- What does transparency mean?
- Sharing information so other people can check it. A useful list says what was used, how much, when and where, not just that a place is environmentally friendly.
- What is evidence?
- Information we can check, such as dated application records or a laboratory report. A promise or an award is not the same as a test result.
- What do our ratings mean?
- GREEN means Lower concern, YELLOW means In the zone of concern, and RED means Highest concern. The color combines the location score with the information reviewed about nearby courses, using whichever is worse. Not yet assessed is YELLOW, not proof that records are absent. A proximity and transparency rating, not a safety verdict. It does not measure chemicals or tell us whether anyone is safe or unsafe.
Words you can use
Curiosity is enough. You do not need to be an expert to ask a kind, clear question.
Elementary school · with a grown-up
We all share water and outdoor spaces. Knowing how they are cared for helps us ask better questions.
- “I care about the water we drink and the places we play.”
- “What do you use to care for the grass?”
- “Can you show my grown-up and me the list?”
Middle school · with adult support
A list of products and a test report answer different questions. The list tells us what was used. A test looks only for the things included in that test.
- “Could you share what was applied, when and where?”
- “What chemicals did the water test look for?”
- “What did it not look for?”
High school, college and beyond
A useful report names the source, date, sampling locations and testing limits. Separate what the records show from what still needs an answer.
- “Could you publish the full seasonal application records and complete laboratory reports?”
- “Who collected the samples, and which chemicals were tested?”
- “What information would help us answer the remaining questions?”
Questions kids might have
- Does living near a golf course mean I will get sick?
- No. Distance alone cannot tell us whether someone has been exposed or will get sick. Adults and qualified professionals can help investigate specific concerns. If you feel worried, talk with a trusted grown-up.
- Does “not detected” mean there are no chemicals?
- Not necessarily. It means the test did not find that chemical at or above its reporting limit in that sample. It does not answer questions about chemicals the test did not look for, or other places and times.
- What can I do?
- Write down a question, learn where your water comes from, or help a grown-up read a public report. You are not responsible for solving this alone. Never touch spraying equipment, collect samples or enter a course to investigate.
Curiosity, care and shared learning
- Ask for complete application records, not only the chemicals selected for testing.
- Identify sources and distinguish documented facts, unanswered questions and unverified reports.
- No trespassing, pesticide handling, independent sampling or confrontation. Any testing belongs with adults and qualified professionals.
- Participation by minors is arranged through a parent or guardian. No direct private contact with children and no public student names, photographs or school affiliations.
Express interest
Parents, guardians and adult students can register interest. This is an interest list, not confirmed enrollment; activities and arrangements are still being developed. Do not send a child’s name, contact details, school or other personal information.
Student ambassador interestBecome a school partner
Schools partner with The Fair Ways Initiative to host a student ambassador chapter. A partner school designates a faculty or staff contact, shares the school’s public environmental disclosures, and gives students a structured, respectful way to ask good questions. The Fair Ways Initiative provides the question frameworks, the plain-language explainers, and the transparency ratings. For school administrators and faculty.
School partnership interest