Guidance
- FAQs: Private Wells
What are private water supplies (private wells), who regulates them, recommendations for testing, and more.
- FAQs: Arsenic in Private Well Water
Arsenic occurs naturally in soil and bedrock in parts of Massachusetts. If you are in an area of concern, MassDEP recommends that you sample for arsenic. These questions and answers explain the health risks of arsenic and what you should do if you water has elevated arsenic levels.
- Arsenic & Uranium Bedrock Well Study
Results of recent USGS investigation on the occurrence of arsenic and uranium in bedrock drinking water wells in Massachusetts and additional information for owners of private bedrock wells. March 2011.
- Estimating Private Well Yields
This article is primarily for boards of health that do not have their own requirements for pumping tests but rely on the Department of Conservation & Recreation's Water Well Completion Report for estimates of well yield.
- Model Board of Health Regulations for Private Wells
Recommended language for local boards of health to use in writing regulations for private wells. Updated October 2011.
- Private or Public Drinking Water System
Information presented in chart form to help determine whether your supply is a public or private facility.
- Private Well Guidelines file size 1MB
file size 3MB
Guidance for boards of health and other local officials, well drillers, well owners, and developers.
- Protect Your Family: A Guide to Water Quality Testing for Private Wells
Informational brochure from the US EPA and the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards, explaining how wells can get contaminated and testing procedures to be followed.
- Recommendations for Private Wells Inundated by Flooding
Disinfection procedures and other guidance if a private well has been contaminated by floodwater. February 13, 2008.
- 2016 Standards & Guidelines for Contaminants in Massachusetts Drinking Water
A compendium of guidance values for evaluating contaminants in Massachusetts drinking water. Guidance values determine the level at which corrective action becomes necessary. Updated June 2016.
- Horsekeeping: Protecting Public Health & Drinking Water
Potential risks from pasture runoff, and what horse owners can do to prevent contamination of water supplies, including recommended well setbacks from manure piles.
Water Quality & Testing
- Protect Your Family: A Guide to Water Quality Testing for Private Wells
Informational brochure from the US EPA and the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards, explaining how wells can get contaminated and testing procedures to be followed.
- Protect Your Family: A Guide to Water Quality Testing for Private Wells
Informational brochure from the US EPA and the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards, explaining how wells can get contaminated and testing procedures to be followed.
- Certified Laboratories
Laboratories that MassDEP has approved for drinking water analysis. Also includes forms, policies and regulations.
- Private Drinking Water Testing and the use of MassDEP-Certified Laboratories
Questions and answers for homeowners, boards of health, and licensed well drillers on choosing a lab for water testing.
- Private Wells - Testing Parameters and Frequency Guidelines
While MassDEP does not regulate private wells or mandate testing for private water supplies, these are recommended guidelines for testing. Revised May 2014.
- FAQs: Point of Entry/Point of Use Home Treatment Devices
These devices - such as carbon filters, ion treatment, reverse osmosis systems, etc. - are installed locally, either at the water service connection of a building (point of entry) or right at the tap (point of use), to treat aesthetic issues such as taste or odor or to help meet drinking water standards. Revised March 2014.
- Private Wells in Urban Areas
Fact sheet prepared by MassDEP's Northeast Regional Office on private wells in areas served by public water systems.
- Recommendations for Private Wells Inundated by Flooding
Disinfection procedures and other guidance if a private well has been contaminated by floodwater. February 13, 2008.
- DWP's Use of Office of Research and Standards Drinking Water Guidelines and US EPA Health Advisory Levels
Discusses the role of Office of Research and Standards Drinking Water Guidelines and US EPA Health Advisory Levels when a contaminant is detected in drinking water. December 30, 2009.
Related Links & Resources
- Massachusetts Boards of Health Lookup
Online directory of boards of health and health districts, provided by the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards.
- Well Driller Program - SearchWell
An online service to help locate wells around the state. Wells are mapped by town with information on how many wells are recorded in the database. Search by location, well type, and other options, and view GIS maps of recorded well locations.
- SearchWell Application
An online service to help locate wells around the state. Wells are mapped by town with information on how many wells are recorded in the database. Search by location, well type, and other options, and view GIS maps of recorded well locations.
- Massachusetts Health Officers Association
The website includes a calendar of events, news, training information, and more.
- New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Fact Sheets
Although these fact sheets were written for New Hampshire, they include much generally useful information on drinking water topics relative to private wells and other areas of concern.
- Well Water Fact Sheets (from University of Massachusetts-Amherst)
Fact sheets on a wide variety of subjects, such as treatment, contaminants, standards, and testing, from the Natural Resources & Environmental Conservation program of the UMass-Amherst Extension Service.
- US EPA: Private Drinking Water Well Information
Information from US EPA on private wells. Like MassDEP, EPA does not regulate private water supplies, but provides information for consumers on health and safety issues associated with private supplies, including testing, treatment, proper maintenance, and information for real estate buyers and sellers.
- WellOwner.org Private Well Owner Tip Sheet Subscription
Provided by the National Ground Water Association under cooperative agreement with US EPA, WellOwner.org offers a monthly email newsletter of practical advice for private-well owners on topics including construction, maintenance, testing, treatment, and groundwater protection, as well as a telephone hotline (855-H2O-WELL (855-420-9355)).
- Office of the Massachusetts State Geologist
This website provides access to GIS maps of private well locations by USGS quadrangles, along with links to related information on other sites. Note that GIS coverage is not statewide at this time; additional maps will be added as research is completed.