Domestic Well General Information
The following links provide general information on domestic water well supplies. For additional information or if you are having particular well problems, please contact Dan Hadley, 217-300-0402.
The ISWS has published three circulars on domestic water wells, water quality, and treatment. These are:
- Circular 116: Planning a Domestic Groundwater Supply System
- Circular 117: Wells and Pumping Systems for Domestic Water Supplies
- Circular 118: Water Quality and Treatment of Domestic Water Supplies
The Illinois Department of Public Health also has useful information on their website. A number of fact sheets and the Illinois Water Well Construction Code can be found under Water Wells.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has also provided helpful information on What You Need to Know about Private Drinking Water Wells. Be sure to consult the additional information links provided along the right column of their page. A link to a University of Illinois Extension Office publication on private well planning is provided within Proper Location & Construction of New Private Wells.
Another excellent guide, the Midwest Plan Service’s Private Water Systems Handbook (MWPS-14) is not available online, but can be ordered ($32) through the MWPS website at Iowa State University.
For questions related to well water quality, treatment, and water sample analysis, the ISWS Health and Environmental Applications Laboratory offers answers to common questions. Plain Talk About Drinking Water ($13-21), published through the American Water Works Association, “provides answers to about 200 of the most-often asked consumer questions about tap water” in non-technical language. 50 Ways Farmers Can Protect Their Groundwater “provides practical, innovative ideas that farmers throughout the Midwest can use to protect groundwater. It explains how you can be environmentally responsible in your farming methods and still cut costs by reducing chemical use and applying the chemicals you do use more efficiently.”
Additional information on water wells can be found through the Illinois drillers’ professional organization, the Illinois Association of Groundwater Professionals.
Finally, the U.S. Geological Survey has published an excellent report entitled Ground Water and the Rural Homeowner.
Additional Links
- IEPA - What You Need To Know About Private Drinking Water Wells
- IDPH - Water Wells
- USGS - Ground Water and the Rural Homeowner
- ISWS - Health and Environmental Applications Laboratory
Contact Groundwater Section leader Walt Kelly.
