Division of Environmental Health Drinking Water Program

Private Drinking Water Wells & Systems

Did You Know?

It is the responsibility of the private water well owner to sample and have their well water tested. The State of Alaska, Drinking Water Program, does not sample, test, or regulate water quality of private drinking water wells. In fact, the only local governments that regulate and have established standards for private water wells are the Municipality of Anchorage and the City of North Pole.*

DEC’s Division of Water has established minimum separation distance requirements for private water systems at 18 AAC 72.100. If minimum separation distance requirements are not met, your private well may be at risk of contamination. It is the owner’s responsibility to ensure minimum separation distance requirements are met and maintained.

As defined by 18 AAC 80, "private water systems" means a potable water system that is not a public water system.

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• Before you Drill
• Existing Well Owners

It's up to you, the well owner ...

... to maintain the well in a safe and sanitary manner.

Here are some helpful tips for maintaining your well and protecting your groundwater:

Wellhead protection

• Maintain proper drainage away from the well; e.g. ensure no standing water around the wellhead.
• Make sure the top of the well casing is at least 12 inches above the ground surface, or well house floor, and higher if the area is frequently flooded. Remember "High and Dry".
• Eliminate potential sources of contamination near the wellhead.
• Maintain a sanitary seal to minimize the risk of contamination entering the well casing, such as animals seeking shelter.
• Limit use of lawn and garden chemicals:
  • Apply sparingly,
  • Follow application instructions, and
  • Consider low-maintenance landscaping near wellhead.

Well testing

• Regularly test your water: at a minimum perform annual nitrate and coliform bacteria analyses, and in certain areas, test for arsenic.

Well records

• Well log
• Pump test and aquifer test records
• Maintenance records for your well or pump
• Water test results
• Water Rights documentation from DNR
  • Be sure to keep all well records in a safe place

Well maintenance

• Periodically inspect well parts for damage:
  • Broken or missing well cap, or well cap nuts and bolts,
  • Unsealed electrical conduit,
  • Cracked, corroded or damaged casing, and
  • Settling and/or cracking of ground surface, or well pad, around casing, and
• Replace well cap with a sanitary well seal.
• Take care working around your well to prevent damage to the well casing
  • Consider installing bollards, or concrete posts, around wellhead to prevent collisions from vehicles and equipment.
• Don't pile snow, leaves or other materials around your well.
• Avoid planting flowers, trees and shrubs near your well.
• Install backflow preventers on all outdoor faucets.
• Hire a qualified well contractor for any new well construction, modification or closure of your water wells.

Before You Drill

• Educate yourself with the process of developing, operating, and maintaining a private water system by reviewing the Private Drinking Water System BMPs.
• Familiarize yourself and/or your well contractor with proper well drilling and pump installation practices, as described in the Alaska BMPs for the Construction of Non-Public Water Wells.
• Educate yourself on the characteristics of nearby water wells by talking to your neighbors and/or visiting the DNR Well Log Tracking System (WELTS) database.
• Research whether there is nearby potential or existing contamination. For help with this, visit DEC's Contaminated Real Estate in Alaska web page.
• Be aware of separation distances that may impact the placement of your water well. Separation distances may vary, so it's best to review DEC Division of Water regulations 18 AAC 72.100 to determine the distances that apply to your water well. These distances are also summarized in the Onsite Wastewater System Installation Manual. Failure to adhere to these separation distances may impact your water quality, could affect future real estate transactions and also increase the likelihood of contamination and jeopardize public health protection.
• If a well has the potential to become a public drinking water system, you are strongly encouraged to design the well to meet DEC's standards for public well construction per 18 AAC 72.100(c). Failure to do so may result in difficulties getting the well approved by the DEC Drinking Water Program.
• Alaska requires water well contractors and well service companies to have a general or subcontractor's license, but not to be specifically certified for well construction. As a result, it's up to you to research a contractor familiar with your area and whose background, experience and qualifications demonstrate the skills needed to develop a water well that can provide a safe and sustainable water supply.
  • National Ground Water Association (NGWA) maintains a list of certified groundwater contractors
  • Alaska Water Well Association (AWWA) is the professional association for water well contractors in Alaska and maintains a list of members. They may be able to provide additional assistance when planning to drill your well
• Upon completing the well construction, it's in your best interest, as a homeowner, to assure that the water well drilling log is submitted to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in order to record the information in WELTS. While water well contractors are required to submit this information to DNR, it is not always carried out. Failure to record this information in WELTS may lead to difficulties in future real estate transactions.
  • Water Well Logs can be sent to DNR at:
  • dnr.water.reports@alaska.gov
  • - or -
  • Alaska DNR, MLW, Alaska Hydrologic Survey
  • 550 West 7th Ave, Suite 1020
  • Anchorage, AK 99501
• Below is a great checklist as well as DNR regulations for the required elements for a well log. We suggest going through these required elements before your contractor has left the site.
  • Finished Well Checklist
  • DNR Regulations for well logs

Once your water well is drilled and operating we recommend reading through the "Existing Well Owners" section below for more information on protecting and maintaining your new water well.

Existing Well Owners

Water Rights

Obtaining Water Rights assures that you will have legal rights to the water used by your well. For additional information on Water Rights visit the DNR Water Resources website or review Water Rights in Alaska: Fact Sheet.

Testing your water: What should you sample for?

There are no State of Alaska requirements to sample a private water well. Some contaminants naturally occur throughout Alaska, such as arsenic, nitrate, and sometimes radon. Consider testing for arsenic and nitrate, and if radon has been detected in the air of your home, consider testing for radon in the water. “Contaminants in Alaska's Water Resources”, developed by the University of Alaska Fairbanks - Cooperative Extension Service (UAF - CES), provides some useful information on these contaminants and others as well as testing and treatment options for the water used by your well.

Where should you send your samples to be tested?

• It's recommended that all samples be sent to a State of Alaska Certified Laboratory. A list of current laboratories certified by the State of Alaska can be viewed in the links below:
  • Certified Microbiology Laboratories
  • Certified Chemistry Laboratories

How often should I have my water tested?

• The NGWA recommends testing your water annually.
• More frequent sampling is recommended if:
  • You experience a change in the taste, odor, or appearance of the water.
  • A problem occurs with your water well such as a broken well cap.
  • A new contamination source is present such as, flooding, a chemical spill, or a septic failure.
  • There is development of nearby excavations associated with resource extraction and/or well construction, as these may introduce contamination shortcuts/pathways to your water well.

How do I disinfect my water well?

Wells that are contaminated with coliform bacteria should not be used for potable purposes until they have been adequately disinfected and retested to verify that they are free of contamination.

(Please read all the instructions before proceeding.)

1. During this procedure the water will not be drinkable so plan to do it late at night or at other times when there is little need for water. Obtain one-half gallon of fresh household bleach (unscented) which contains 5-6% sodium hypochlorite. Large diameter or very deep wells may require more chlorine. Dilute the chlorine in a large bucket of water.
2. Remove the sanitary seal and pour the chlorine solution down the well casing. Using a clean hose, run water down the casing until you smell chlorine in the water from the hose. Turn off the hose and replace the sanitary seal.
3. Open each tap in the distribution system until you smell the chlorine, then close the tap. The goal is to get the chlorine solution to all parts of the plumbing. Do the same for hot water taps and flush toilets until chlorinated. If there are any in-line filters, they should be removed, and replaced with new filters after the disinfection is completed. (Carbon filters are notorious for breeding bacteria.)
4. Hold the chlorine in the pipes a minimum of two (2) hours, preferably overnight.
5. Open all taps and flush out the chlorine solution until you can no longer smell it at any of the taps. Your well and distribution system should now be disinfected.
6. Follow-up sampling should be done after all trace of chlorine is gone to ensure that the disinfection procedure was successful. DEC Drinking Water personnel will advise public water suppliers of their sampling requirements.

NOTE: Large amounts of chlorine can damage the resin in water softeners, so if there is a softener, it should be by-passed before disinfecting the plumbing. Contact the manufacturer or distributor for the correct method for disinfecting the softener.

Abandoned Water Wells

In accordance with 18 AAC 72.100(d), a person who owns or is responsible for a well shall maintain it in accordance with 18 AAC 80.015(d) or decommission it in accordance with 18 AAC 80.015(e).

If your well becomes no longer useable, it is advisable to decommission or maintain the well in such a manner that it does not become a potential conduit for contamination of nearby existing or future wells. Familiarize yourself and/or your well contractor with proper well decommissioning practices, as described in the Alaska BMPs for Decommissioning Water Wells or Boreholes. Note the well decommissioning methods are required by DEC Drinking Water regulations 18 AAC 80.015(e).

What can you do if you feel that nearby land-use activities may impact your water quality?

Contacting the appropriate local governmental department is where you should start. If it is a State-regulated activity that you are concerned about, contact the appropriate program within the Department of Environmental Conservation or Department of Natural Resources. Finally, establishing baseline sampling for your well (by following the recommendations for sampling above) will help provide the documentation needed to assess whether your water has been impacted.

*Currently these are the only local government regulations we are aware of. Please check with local regulating agencies for any regulations not mentioned here.