Private Drinking Water Wells

Safe Private Drinking Water Wells

Private well owners are responsible for delivering safe drinking water to their households. 

The quality and safety of drinking water from private domestic wells are not regulated by the Federal Government under the Safe Drinking Water Act nor by most state governments and laws.

Learn how to protect your household

The Quality of our Nation's Waters

Around 15 percent of the U.S. population (over 43 million) rely on private wells as their source of drinking water.

A U.S. Geologic Survey study of 2,100 private wells found that water pumped from about one in five wells contained one or more contaminants at a concentration greater than a human-health benchmark for drinking water.

Private Well Data Maps

EPA estimates that more than 23 million households rely on private wells for drinking water in the United States. In 2021, EPA released estimates of the density of private wells by census blocks, which can be found in DWMAPS or using EPA's Interactive Private Domestic Well Map.