Private Drinking Water
Nearly 15% of people living in the U.S. rely on private drinking water systems serving fewer than 25 people or have less than 15 connections. They are typically private wells but also include springs, cisterns, and hauled water systems. Testing and monitoring of these systems is not required and thus can be a risk for waterborne disease and illness.
Private Well Contaminant Treatment Toolkit
Our new Private Well Contaminant Treatment Toolkit includes fact sheets for each of the five leading private well contaminants: arsenic, nitrates and nitrites, lead, coliform bacteria, and radon.
Each fact sheet describes the health risks and the recommended treatment.
Share the link or print the fact sheets to share with your private well owners.
Review Toolkit
Education & Training Opportunities
- Private Well Class | Register: Originally intended for well owners, this course has proven to be a resource for environmental health professionals for basic well and groundwater understanding. The class consists of 10 courses that can be taken in sequence or individually and are eligible for one CE each from NEHA.
- Private Water Network | Webpage: A virtual community of practice for individuals working to protect the public's health from contaminants in private drinking water sources.
- Safe Water Program Improvement, Tulane, Louisiana | Webpage: This no cost online class provides information and resources to improve health department programs for household wells, springs, cisterns, and other drinking water sources.