Private Well Forms & Guidance

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Forms & Applications
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How to Obtain Well Water Testing

Your local county environmental health office can help you arrange water testing or you can request a water sample test kit from a certified drinking water laboratory of your choice. The water is then sampled and sent to the laboratory for analysis.

At a minimum, you should test for coliform bacteria and nitrates on a yearly basis, and for arsenic at least once during the life of each well. Depending on the local geology and land use where your well is located, there may be other contaminants that you should test for too. Find out more by visiting our Private Well Testing webpage.

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Well and Water System Inspections

Are you buying or selling a property with a private well? If so, you should obtain a well and water system inspection before the sale so you know the condition of these resources.

When you need an inspection of your well or water system, please contact your Iowa DNR Certified Well Contractor. Check out the resources below.

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Well Guidance for Flooded Areas

During times of flooding, there's an increased risk that drinking water wells may become contaminated with bacteria and/or any other contaminants that may be present in the flood water.

Any water well and water system, whether deep or shallow, can become contaminated when flooding occurs. Water testing is the only way to know if your well is safe to drink.

Please see our "What should I do when my well floods" document for additional information on this topic.

Who uses private wells?

Approximately 282,000 Iowans obtain their water from a private water supply - nearly all groundwater supply wells.

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Databases and Tools

Iowa Well Information System (IWIS)

The Iowa Well Information System is used by county and state staff to track private well construction permitting, water testing, well renovations and well plugging. It is designed as an authorized user system for the purpose of Iowa's well program record keeping. The public can create an account and view the information in IWIS.

IIHR-IGS GeoSam Database

GeoSam is Iowa’s geologic site and sample tracking program maintained by the Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research (IIHR)-Iowa Geological Survey. GeoSam provides location, identification, and other key information about every available well, rock exposure, or site of geologic information in Iowa. GeoSam can be searched using either a map-based or text-based interface. It does not require a login.

GP6 Well Siting Tool

The GP6 Well Siting Tool is useful for performing desktop evaluations of well sites to determine if a well location will require discharge management through General Permit #6 (GP6). It also helps define which locations likely cannot support well construction discharge due to close proximity of Outstanding Iowa Waters (OIWs). Users can access map layers that to identify distances to surface waters and OIWs, locations of sinkholes, karst areas, land slope, and more. Users can also print the map to use as a resource.

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Forms, Guidance and Private Well Rules

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More Resources

  • Private Well Information Booklet - A guidance booklet designed to help private well owners understand private well construction, water quality, and overall well ownership. it includes important information you should know before you hire a contractor to construct your water well. IDNR publication no. 542-8168.
  • Well Water Quality and Home Treatment Systems (.pdf) - A publication from the State Hygienic Laboratory at the University of Iowa. This booklet provides an overview of common well water contaminants and the water treatment systems commonly used reduce or remove the contaminants.
  • Iowa Geological Survey's Iowa's Groundwater Basics - A Geological Guide to the Occurrence, Use, and Vulnerability of Iowa's Aquifers.
  • DNR Facility Explorer - A GIS based mapping system that allows users to view information about many of the permitted sites and other recorded sites around the state.
  • Iowa DNR Contaminated Sites Database - Allows the public to search and find information about contaminated sites and print out results.
  • DNR Cumulative Risk Calculator - Assess risk to potentially exposed parties, based on three standard exposure scenarios, from multiple contaminants and multiple media (i.e., groundwater, soil, and air).

 

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Report a Spill

If in doubt, report it!

Quick reporting of hazardous spills is critical in providing the best emergency response. Call the Iowa DNR and local law enforcement right away.

Call our 24-hour line at 515-725-8694

Additional Spill Guidance

 

Additional Web Resources

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