Your drinking water comes from either:

A private well (You use a well that serves less than 15 homes or 25 people)

A publicly-owned water system (You pay a water bill to a city, county or other municipality)

A privately-owned water system (You pay a water bill to a private company or corporation)

Protecting Your Private Well

Are you one of the more than 3 million private well users in NC? Most wells have never been inspected or tested for more than bacteria, even when state and local agencies knew of nearby contamination sites. CWFNC works for protection of groundwater and well users throughout the state.

If your well was installed after July 2008 (when the state began to require licenses for new wells):

• Be sure to report any odd tastes or odors. You can also ask them for a copy of your water quality test results and a copy of your well certificate.
• Request additional testing by contacting your county’s environmental health representative. A test every 3-5 years is recommended.
• View well sampling and new permit costs for each county

If your well was installed before July 2008:

• Contact your local county health department and ask for the well program
• CWFNC recommends testing your well for at a minimum: Total Coliform Bacteria, Arsenic, Lead, Zinc, and nitrates/nitrites. A full water test (required since 2008) would also include: barium, cadmium, Copper, Fluoride, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Mercury, selenium, silver, Sodium, and pH.

If you think you may have other sources of contamination near your well, including pesticide use or underground fuel tanks, ask your county well program about other well testing available.

You can also contact the staff at DEQ’s Division of Water Resources – Regional Office contact information
DEQ’s Public Water Supply section handles issues related to public water systems, including water quality and permitting
FAQs on well water contamination, testing, and how to get more info
Environmental Working Group has an excellent primer on private well water safety

Publicly-owned Water Systems

• Contact your water supplier (the City, County, or other public authority

  

  that provides the water) first to report any water quality problems or billing questions.
• Find your water system data– You can search by water system name, type or county served. You’ll find information on emergency contacts, past water quality violations, and more.
• Basic information about Consumer Confidence Reports – You should receive an annual report from your water supplier on your drinking water quality. This is required under the national Safe Drinking Water Act.
• Factsheet: Secondary contaminants (such as iron and sediment)

Privately-owned Water Systems

• Contact your water supplier (the company or other private authority that provides your water) first to report any water quality problems or billing questions.
• Find your water system data – You can search by water system name, type or county served. You’ll find information on emergency contacts, past water quality violations, and more.
• Basic information about Consumer Confidence Reports – You should receive an annual report from your water supplier on your drinking water quality. This is required under the national Safe Drinking Water Act.
• Factsheet: Secondary contaminants(such as iron and sediment)
• Report a rate/service concern or problem: If you have a billing, cost, service or other complaint about a private, for-profit water company, we suggest copying correspondence to all of the following agencies:
  North Carolina Utilities Commission
  Public Staff – Consumer Services Division
  NC Attorney General – Consumer Protection