Private Well Protection
Clean Water Fund

Twenty-one percent of Minnesotans (1.2 million people) get their drinking water from a private well. Private well users are not afforded the same water quality safeguards as people who get their water from public water systems. While public water systems make sure water is safe for the end-user, private well users are responsible for making sure their water is safe for everyone in the household to drink.

The Minnesota Well Code ensures that private wells are properly located and constructed. However, once the well is put into service, private well users are responsible for properly maintaining their well, testing it regularly, and treating the water when necessary.

Since July 2013, Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has received funding from the Clean Water Fund to evaluate the occurrence and distribution of contaminants in private wells, provide free well private well drinking water test kits, and to develop additional education and outreach to protect private well users. This funding has made the following initiatives possible:

• Private Well Education and Outreach.
• Private Well Protection Household Survey.
• Private Well Protection Arsenic and Radium Studies.
• Free Private Well Testing in Southeast Minnesota and for areas of the state which have received the Private Well Protection Grant.
• Created opportunities for well inventory work in Southeast Minnesota.
• Hosting of the Private Well Forum in 2023.

Private well education and outreach

Currently, MDH provides web and printed materials about well maintenance, testing, and treatment for private well users. The Program also provides technical assistance to private well users when they contact MDH. In 2015, the Program initiated efforts to improve outreach and education to increase private well testing and treatment, when necessary. Most of 2016 was spent designing and conducting the survey discussed in the next section. In 2017 and 2018, the effort is focused on the following actions informed by survey responses:

• Developing local partnerships to share information about wells, water quality, testing, and treatment with private well users.
• Improving risk messaging in communications materials about contaminants in well water.
• Expanding outreach to include methods other than our website and brochures.
• Collaborating with water testing laboratories and well contractors to provide consistent public health information.
• Simplifying the process for testing well water.

Private well protection household survey

In 2016, MDH sent a survey to nearly 4,000 households with private wells to determine if private well users are taking actions to ensure safe drinking water and to identify barriers that prevent or discourage well users from testing and treating their water. Surveys were sent to addresses that had a new well drilled since 2008 and an arsenic test result above the limit allowed in public water supplies (Maximum Contaminant Level); 798 households participated in the survey. Survey results showed:

• Thirty-four percent did not take any action to reduce arsenic exposure.
• At least 81 percent did not test their well at the frequency MDH recommends for other contaminants.
• People with less education, lower income, and those who did not know anyone who had tested their well were less likely to install a treatment unit to protect their health.
• Taking no action was also strongly associated with:
  • The perception that their well water is safe to drink (risk perception).
  • The perception that homes in their area do not often have arsenic-contaminated well water (risk perception).
  • Not knowing what level of arsenic is a health concern (knowledge barrier).
  • The perception that it costs a lot to treat for arsenic (financial barrier).

A similar survey started in 2025, with completion in 2026 is currently being performed. From this survey, we will gain new insights to private well users' knowledge, attitudes toward private well drinking water, and their behaviors to help focus out program and outreach efforts. 

For more information

• Information sheet: Private Well Protection Household Survey (PDF)
• Summary report: Data-Driven Outreach for Private Well Users: Findings from a Statewide Survey of Households on Private Wells with Elevated Levels of Arsenic (PDF)

Private Well Protection Arsenic and Radium Studies

MDH conducted a study of arsenic in private wells to:

• Determine how water sampling methods and the timing of sample collection contribute to arsenic test results in a new well.
• Collect water samples to track variation in arsenic concentration in a new well up to a year after the initial sampling date to see how long it takes the water chemistry to stabilize.
• Identify the conditions that control arsenic occurrence in groundwater.
• Provide guidance and education to well contractors and private well owners to reduce risks from arsenic in well water.

Learn more at Private Well Protection Arsenic Study.

MDH conducted a study of radium in private wells to determine if private wells have geologically sourced radium in the drinking water. Questions asked were:

• Are there any private wells in Minnesota that have concentrations of radium greater than the MCL? 
• Can well construction and/or aquifer help determine the presence of radium in well water? 
• Are public wells with known concentrations above the MCL good indicators for the location of private wells in Minnesota that may exhibit concentrations of radium above the MCL? 
• Can the presence of radium be inferred from the presence of gross alpha?

Learn more at Private Well Protection Radium Study.

Response to Nitrate in Southeast Minnesota

On November 3, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requested the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), and Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) develop a coordinated and comprehensive work plan to reduce nitrate contamination of drinking water in eight southeastern Minnesota counties.

The eight counties included are Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Wabasha, and Winona.

Thanks for Clean Water Funds, MDH is able to provide limited free private well test kits for households that meet all of the following:

• Rely on private well as their drinking water source.
• The private well is in Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Wabasha, or Winona counties.

The test kits are to test for nitrate, coliform bacteria, arsenic, lead, and manganese.

Work on performing a well inventory (locating all unknown wells) in the area is currently underway, with work expected to continue for several years. 

Of interest

• Check out the Key Water Information Catalogue

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