Well Site Applications & Review

Follow the Department of Ecology’s Well Drilling requirements

Once your application for the well site has been approved by the Health Department, you will go through the Department of Ecology (DOE) for well construction steps. Requirements for well construction can be found on DOE's Well Construction and Licensing webpage under the “Before you Drill” and “Information for Property Owners” sections. During this process, you'll need to find a licensed well driller. DOE has an online Licensed Driller Search tool to find well drillers in our area who have an active license. 

Snohomish County Health Department is not involved in the steps for this part. Follow all DOE steps accordingly, and contact them for assistance if needed.

Department of Ecology regional helpdesk phone line: 

206-594-0193

Department of Ecology regional well construction coordinator: 

Noel Philip | noel.philip@ecy.wa.gov

After the well is drilled, make sure you receive a copy of the Water Well Report (well driller’s log) from the well driller. This will have important details about your well that you’ll need to submit to the Health Department.

Once this part is done, click the the tab above for the Last set of steps.

Get your well accepted as a drinking water supply

1  |  Submit a “Request for Review - Individual Water Supply”

After the well has been drilled, submit a Request for Review - Individual Water Supply form to the Health Department. This is to ensure your well was constructed according to state code, will provide enough water, and will provide safe drinking water. With the form, you'll need to attach additional documents. Listed below are the required documents, as well as some you may need to include depending on your situation.

ALWAYS REQUIRED with your Request for Review:

• Bacteriological & Primary Inorganic Chemicals Tests: For your well to be approved as a drinking water supply, it needs to be at or below the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for the contaminants listed here. The MCL is the highest level of a contaminant allowed in drinking water and is set as close to the Maximum Contaminant Level Goals (MCLGs) as possible. MCLGs are the levels at which there are no known or anticipated health risks. The well driller may do this step for you after they construct the well. If they did not, see our water testing page for information on finding a lab that tests drinking water. Typically you'll need to do a bacteriological analysis to test for coliform bacteria and a primary inorganic chemical test for the remaining contaminants on the list.

• Contaminant	Max. Contaminant Level (MCL)	Contaminant	Max. Contaminant Level (MCL)
  Arsenic	0.010 mg/L	Lead**	0.015 mg/L
  Barium	2 mg/L	Mercury	0.002 mg/L
  Cadmium	0.005 mg/L	Nitrate	10 mg/L
  Chromium	0.10 mg/L	Selenium	0.05 mg/L
  Coliform Bacteria*	0	Silver	0.05 mg/L
  Fluoride	4 mg/L	Sodium**	No standard established

*Zero present using presence/absence method. | **In absence of an MCL established by the State Board of Health & EPA for lead and sodium, Snohomish County Health Department applies the EPA Action Level of 0.015 mg/L for lead. For sodium, it must be tested and an advisory will be sent if levels exceed 20mg/L.

• Water Well Report (well driller’s log): The well record or "well log" has important information about the construction of your well. This is normally provided by your well driller and will need to be submitted with your Request for Review. Contact your well driller if they did not provide you with a copy, or search for your well log online with the Department of Ecology's Well Report Viewer.

MAY BE REQUIRED with your Request for Review:

• Declaration of Covenant for Two-Connection Wells
  • This only applies to a well that will serve two connections on the same property, such a house with an accessory dwelling unit. This is a legal document that must be notarized and then recorded with the county Recording Office. There is a fee to have documents recorded. Feel free to check with us first to make sure this document is complete and correct before getting it recorded. We have an example declaration of covenant that can be used as reference if you need to complete this requirement.
• Two-Connection Individual Water System Easement & Agreement
  • This only applies to a well that will serve two connections on separate properties, such as one well that serves two neighboring properties. This is a legal document that must be notarized and then recorded with the county Recording Office. There is a fee to have documents recorded. Feel free to check with us first to make sure this document is complete and correct before getting it recorded. We have an example easement and agreement that can be used as reference if you need to complete this requirement.

Once you have all the supporting documents that are required for your situation, submit them with your Request for Review form to the Health Department.

2  |  Health Department Review

The Health Department will review the info submitted with your Request for Review and will send a notice stating that your well is either accepted or not accepted as a drinking water supply. If it is not accepted, reach out to the Health Department staff member who completed the review for options to resolve any issues if you are unsure how to fix them.

A note on arsenic levels: If the water test results you submit with your Request for Review show any level of arsenic, even if it is at or below the Maximum Contaminant Level, you’ll need to record an “Arsenic Disclosure Statement” onto your property title. Arsenic is very common in our region, so this requirement comes up frequently! This statement will be sent to you if it needs to be recorded onto your property title in order for your well to be accepted as a drinking water supply. Have this statement recorded with the county Recording Office (there is a fee to have documents recorded). If your water tested above the arsenic MCL of 0.010mg/L, there will also be additional steps you'll need to take to get your well accepted as a drinking water supply aside from the disclosure statement.

3  |  Finally, take care of your well!

Once your well has been accepted as a drinking water supply, you are all done! See our well maintenance webpage for information on how to maintain and care for your well. This is important to ensure your well water remains safe to drink and to prevent contamination.