Environment
Private well water quality unregulated after installation
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By LAURA BOHANNON
Capital News Service
LANSING — Even though Michigan has the most private wells in the nation, no state regulations control how often that water should be tested. A quarter of Michigan’s residents rely on well water, according to Michigan’s 21st Century Infrastructure Committee’s most recent report. But the state has set no standard for monitoring the quality of water from private wells, Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) source water unit supervisor Matt Gamble said. “Private wells get tested when they’re installed and they may never be sampled again,” Gamble said. “There is no requirement — at least no statewide requirement — for a homeowner to have their well sampled on any schedule.”
Gamble said the DEQ frequently learns of contaminated well water.