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 Wells and Natural Disasters: Prepare, Respond, and Recover Factsheets
This series of factsheets are for environmental public health professionals who specialize in private wells, and as a resource for private well owners, developed in collaboration with members from our Private Water Network, and Private Water and Decentralized Wastewater Program Committee.
Education & Training Opportunities
- Private Well Course | : 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.
- The Role of Environmental Public Health in Private Well Safety Learning Series | : This free, 3-hour course consists of 3 learning modules, resources and tools, case studies, and a quiz at the end of each module designed for environmental health professionals to increase knowledge and skills to protect private water supplies. The course is eligible for 3 continuing education units (1 per module).
- Safe Water Program Improvement, Tulane, Louisiana | : This no cost online class provides information and resources to improve health department programs for household wells, springs, cisterns, and other drinking water sources.
Private Well Contaminant Treatment Toolkit
Our 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