EPA 816-K-02-003 January 2002
If your family gets drinking water from your own well, do you know if
your water is safe to drink? What health risks could you and your family
face? Where can you go for help or advice?
This pamphlet helps answer these questions. It gives you general information
about drinking water from home wells (also considered private drinking
water sources). It describes types of activities in your area that can
create threats to your water supply. It also describes problems to look
for and offers maintenance suggestions. Sources for more information and
help are also listed.
All of us need clean water to drink. We can go for weeks without food,
but only days without water. Contaminated water can be a threat to anyone’s
health, but especially to young children.
About 15 percent of Americans have their own sources of drinking water,
such as wells, cisterns, and springs. Unlike public drinking water systems
serving many people, they do not have experts regularly checking the water’s
source and its quality before it is sent through pipes to the community.
To help protect families with their own wells, almost all states license
or register water-well installers. Most also have construction standards
for home wells. In addition, some city and county health departments have
local rules and permitting. All this helps make sure the well is built
properly. But what about checking to see that it is working correctly
and the water is always healthy to drink? That is the job of the well
owner, and it takes some work and some knowledge.
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To navigate this booklet, see the links to the left.
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To order a copy of this publication contact:
- National Service Center for Environmental Publications
1-800-490-9198
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