Illinois State Water Survey - Center for Groundwater Science - Domestic Well General Information, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The following links provide general information on domestic water well supplies. For additional information or if you are having particular well problems, please contact Ken Hlinka (217) 333-8431 or Bob Olson (217) 333-8700.

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 web-site. An alphabetical listing on a wide variety of health-related topics is available, but of most importance to rural homeowners is the listing under Water. 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 on-line, but can be ordered ($10) through the MWPS web-site at Iowa State University.

For questions related to well water quality, treatment, and free water sample analysis, the ISWS offers answers to common questions on our Public Service Laboratory page. Plain Talk About Drinking Water, 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, is available ($5.50) through the University of Illinois Extension. "This award-winning little book 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 US 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 - Public Service Laboratory