Well Maintenance for Spokane County Owners: Testing, Wellhead and Routine Checks

Good well maintenance is mostly routine: test the water every year, keep the wellhead clear and sound, and call a qualified professional when something changes. NGWA and the Washington Department of Health give specific guidance.

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What well maintenance is

Maintenance is what a well owner does between professional visits. It does not include work on the pump, the tank or the wiring, which belongs with qualified professionals. It is mostly paying attention: looking at the wellhead, keeping the area around it clear and testing the water every year.

The Washington Department of Health recommends testing private well water every year for coliform bacteria and nitrate, and also when you notice a change in taste, color or smell, after flooding, and after you replace any part of your well system. Your county health department can tell you how and where to have it tested.

NGWA's inspection page also advises keeping a 50-foot clean zone between a well and livestock and removing roots within 10 feet of the well. It says casing should extend at least 12 inches above ground, while Washington's own rule, WAC 173-160-291, sets the minimum at 6 inches above ground, so use the Washington rule when you ask what applies to your well.

NGWA also says to have a well inspected whenever it is opened, or when taste, odor, turbidity, pressure or cycling changes. A change is the main signal to call someone.

When people look into this

A landowner is new to a home with a private well.
It has been a year since the last water test.
Taste, color or smell has changed.
A flood has reached the well.
Livestock or roots are near the wellhead.
A landowner wants a simple yearly routine.

What the work usually looks like

Look at the wellhead. Cap, casing and vent are looked at for damage.
Clear the area. Keep livestock and roots away.
Test the water. A yearly coliform and nitrate test.
Keep records. Test results and invoices go in one folder.
Watch for changes. Taste, smell, pressure and cycling.
Call a professional. For anything beyond looking.

How to prepare

Before work starts, it helps to settle these points:

Find the well and make sure it is easy to reach.
Look for a damaged cap, cracked casing or a loose vent.
Keep a 50-foot clean zone from livestock, per NGWA.
Remove roots within 10 feet of the well, per NGWA.
Ask your county health department how and where to test.
Keep a folder for the well report, tests and invoices.
Note any change in water or pressure.
Call a registered professional for pump, tank or wiring work.

What affects the cost

Prices vary widely with the well, the pump and the work. Routine maintenance is mostly time and the cost of a water test; professional work is priced on its own.

Water testing. Lab fees depend on the lab and the tests.
Wellhead repairs. Cap, casing and vent work is separate.
Clearing. Removing roots or moving livestock takes time.
Inspection visits. A professional visit is priced on its own.
Follow-up work. Pump, tank or wiring work.
Records. Free, and useful later.
Written scope. What a professional's price covers.

A simple yearly routine

Pick a date each year, such as the start of spring. Look at the wellhead, clear anything growing near it, take a water sample to a lab and put the result in a folder with the well report. If anything has changed since last year, such as taste, smell or pressure, call a registered professional.

The routine takes little time, and it gives you a record. A record of yearly test results is useful if a problem appears, because it shows what the water was like before.

Local rules and sources

Testing. The Washington Department of Health recommends testing private well water every year for coliform bacteria and nitrate, and also when you notice a change in taste, color or smell, after flooding, and after you replace any part of your well system. Your county health department can tell you how and where to have it tested.

Wellhead. NGWA's inspection page also advises keeping a 50-foot clean zone between a well and livestock and removing roots within 10 feet of the well. It says casing should extend at least 12 inches above ground, while Washington's own rule, WAC 173-160-291, sets the minimum at 6 inches above ground, so use the Washington rule when you ask what applies to your well.

Wellhead rule. WAC 173-160-291 says well casing must extend at least 6 inches above ground, and 2 feet above the 100-year flood level at a site that floods. Drilled wells must be capped with a metal or plastic cap that is mechanically secured or welded, access ports must be sealed, and vents must be shielded and at least 6 inches above the land surface. Pitless adapters must use fittings approved by the Department of Health, with the point where the adapter joins the casing above the static water level unless designed otherwise. Whoever removes the surface seal to install a pitless adapter is responsible for having the seal repaired to land surface.

Inspection. The National Ground Water Association (NGWA), on its wellowner.org annual inspection page, recommends an annual checkup of a well by a qualified well professional. It lists a flow test, a check of the pump's amp load, grounding and line voltage, and an inspection of the pressure tank and the pressure switch contacts, along with a coliform and nitrate water test and a written report. It also says to inspect a well whenever it is opened, or when taste, odor, turbidity, pressure or cycling changes.

Trades. Pump work can involve other trades: contractors are registered with the Department of Labor & Industries, electrical work generally requires an electrical contractor license, and plumbing work generally requires certified plumbers, with some exceptions. Check a company's registration on the Washington Department of Labor & Industries “Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business” page.

Safety. Work on pump wiring, pressure tanks and wells can involve electricity, stored pressure and, in some cases, contaminated water, so it belongs with a qualified professional.

Reasons to trust this page

Most statements on this page name their public source, such as the Department of Health or the Department of Ecology.
Cost factors are explained in plain terms, and this site does not quote prices.
The email address is shown at the top of every page, and the Privacy page says what a quote request collects.

Common questions

What maintenance does a private well need?

Mostly routine attention. Test the water every year for coliform bacteria and nitrate, per the Washington Department of Health, look at the wellhead, keep livestock and roots away, and call a qualified professional when taste, odor, pressure or cycling changes. NGWA recommends an annual professional checkup as well.

How far should livestock be from a well?

NGWA advises a 50-foot clean zone between a well and livestock, and removing roots within 10 feet of the well. Those are NGWA recommendations rather than a Washington rule. Ask your county health department whether any local rule applies to your property.

How often should I test my well water?

The Washington Department of Health recommends testing private well water every year for coliform bacteria and nitrate, and also when you notice a change in taste, color or smell, after flooding and after you replace any part of your well system. Your county health department can tell you how and where.

What should I look at on the wellhead?

Look for a damaged cap, cracked casing or a loose vent. WAC 173-160-291 says drilled wells must be capped with a metal or plastic cap that is mechanically secured or welded, and vents must be shielded and at least 6 inches above the land surface. Call a professional if anything looks wrong.

What does well maintenance cost?

Prices vary widely with the well, the pump and the work. Routine checks cost time and the price of a water test. Wellhead repairs and professional visits are priced on their own. Get a written scope for anything beyond testing, so prices from different companies cover the same work.

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