Well Water Safety

Key points

  • If you have a privately owned well, you are responsible for making sure your tap water is safe to drink.
  • Proper well construction and continued maintenance help keep harmful germs and chemicals out of your well water.
  • Contact your health department for advice about testing your water and maintaining your well.
Well head coming out of the ground

How it works

When rain falls, much of it goes into the ground. Water that is not used by plants moves downward through spaces in the rock. Water moves down until it reaches a dense layer of rock. The water trapped below the ground in the spaces above the dense rock is called ground water or an aquifer. We pump ground water up through wells.

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Illustration of ground water beneath the earth and surface water at the level of the land's surface.
We get water that is under the ground by drilling wells and pumping it out.

Types of wells

The main types of water wells are:

  • Dug or bored wells
  • Driven wells
  • Drilled wells

Knowing what type of well you have can help you maintain your well and keep your water safe. Looking at the cover and outside (casing) of your well may help you determine the type of well it is.

It is generally easier to keep harmful germs and chemicals out of drilled wells compared to dug, bored, or driven wells.

See Also: Learn About Private Water Wells | U.S. EPA

Private wells are not regulated

Tap water from private wells is not regulated, treated, or monitored by officials. The regulations that protect public drinking water systems do not apply to privately owned wells. Therefore, you are responsible for making sure your private well water is safe to drink.

Take steps to keep your well water safe. You can also contact your health department for advice about well water safety.

Private well definition

Typically, a private well or water system is not regulated if it:

  • Serves no more than 25 people at least 60 days of the year, and
  • Has no more than 15 service connections (buildings it serves)

The risks

Drinking polluted well water can make you sick. Your symptoms will depend on what type of harmful germ or chemical is in the water.

Well water can become unsafe to drink and use if it gets polluted by:

  • Leaks from landfills
  • Septic systems that are not working correctly
  • Leaks from underground fuel tanks
  • Fertilizers or pesticides
  • Water runoff from cities or industrial buildings
  • High levels of naturally occurring chemicals, such as arsenic or radon, in the land around a well
  • Poop from animal feedlots

Contact your health department for advice if you think your well water is polluted.

Keep Reading: What Causes Tap Water Contamination

Steps to take

Proper well construction and continued maintenance help keep your well water safe.

Where to put your well

Locate your well a safe distance from possible sources of harmful germs and chemicals. Make sure your well is at least:

  • 50 feet from septic tanks
  • 50 feet from septic leach fields
  • 50 feet from livestock yards
  • 100 feet from petroleum tanks
  • 100 feet from where liquid-tight manure is stored
  • 100 feet from where fertilizer is stored or handled
  • 250 feet from manure stacks
Illustration of concentric circles showing how far your well should be from sources of contamination: 50 feet from septic tanks, livestock yards, silos septic, leach fields; 100 feet from petroleum tanks, liquid-tight manure storage, pesticide and fertilizer storage and handling; and 250 feet from manure stacks.
Keep your well water safe. Make sure your well is far enough away from sources of harmful germs and chemicals.

Maintaining your well

Regular maintenance is important to keep your well water safe. Get a well checkup every year, and test your water and check your well if you ever suspect a problem.

At least once each year:

  • Test your well water for harmful germs and chemicals
  • Check your well for mechanical problems and cleanliness

Even if you are not currently using your well, continue to maintain it if it might be used in the future.

Learn more about what to include in your annual well checkup on the National Groundwater Association's Well Owner website.

See Also: Well Owner Routine Maintenance Practices | Wellowner.org

Retiring your well

If you are no longer using your well, you must retire it by filling and properly sealing it. Retiring your old well helps protect ground water and neighboring wells from getting contaminated with germs or chemicals. People or animals can also get hurt if they fall into a forgotten, crumbling well.

Contact your local water quality or environmental protection department to learn what is required in your area to retire a well. In many states, well owners must document retired wells with these agencies.

Look for a well water systems contractor with the expertise and equipment to properly plug and seal the well you want to retire. For help finding a contractor, contact your local health department or environmental protection department. You can also check these resources:

Emergency situations

If your well is or may be contaminated with harmful germs or chemicals, do not drink the water. Contact your health department for specific advice. Drink bottled water or water from another safe source until you have treated and tested your well water.

Keep Reading: Guidelines for Treating Well Water

Resources

Get more information about wells in your area by contacting:

You can also find helpful information related to keeping your well water safe on the pages below:



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Content Source:
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)