Louisiana Private Well Owner Network
The Private Well Owner Network (PWON) supports Louisiana residents who depend on private wells for their drinking water needs. Private water wells do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Safe Drinking Water Act, therefore, no federal reporting requirements exist for monitoring the water quality coming from these wells. The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) is only required to test and check public water systems. Well owners are responsible for sampling and maintaining their water well systems.
The PWON hosts sampling and stewardship resources for well owners and licensed well professionals who service private wells. Users can explore these resources to become familiar with their aquifer quality, sampling and water treatment options, maintenance support and guidance.
- Private Water Well Stewardship Resources
- Laboratory/Public Health Unit Locations and Sample Collection Instructions
- Order Private Water Well Testing
- Private Water Well Disinfection Instructions
- Real Estate Lender Testing Requirements for Private Water Wells
- Private Well Diagram and Louisiana Administrative Code Resources
- Louisiana DENR Groundwater Resources for Private Water Well Owners
- Private Water Well Assessments
Web Mapping Application Tools
The Louisiana Private Well Initiative Program has launched two new interactive web-mapping tools to assist private water well owners in the state.
- We invite you to explore over 40 years of water results using the new Aquifer Quality Data application. Search by date, region, parish, or contaminant to identify areas with pre-treatment exceedance levels based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR) drinking water criteria.
- Interested in a specific location? Checkout the Aquifer Quality Near My Well application to view wells, contaminants and aquifers within a selected distance of the desired area. Export your results to assist with sampling and stewardship decisions that are best for your family.
The Aquifer Quality Near My Well application incorporates data from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and the United States Geological Survey, with an additional feature to select a specific address of interest. Users may specify a buffer distance to explore wells, contaminants and aquifers within a selected distance of the desired area.
The Aquifer Quality Data application contains over 40 years of well data collected by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) (1980-2021). Users can search by sample source, date, region, parish, test site or contaminant to identify areas with pre-treatment exceedance levels based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR) drinking water criteria.
Instructional Videos
The Louisiana Well Owner Network has developed three videos to assist private water well owners with sampling and stewardship needs.
In the first video, we talk about all of the sanitation procedures that go into making your well water safe and operate correctly.
In the second video, we talk about the parts of a private well and procedures an owner should take to maintain their private water well.
In the third video, we talk about all of the responsibilities and procedures that go into making your well water safe and operate correctly.
LDH Publications
- Private Water Well Testing in Louisiana - What You Need to Know to Protect Your Water
- What Private Water Well Owners Should Know to Protect Their Families
- Have You Inspected Your Private Water Well this Year?
- Is Your Private Well Registered with the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources?
- Have You Tested Your Private Water Well this Year?
- Saltwater Intrusion: Private Water Well FAQs
- No-cost Bacteriological Sampling Information
Partner Publications
- Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
- Louisiana Department of Health
- Louisiana Department of Natural Resources
- Louisiana Division of Administration
- Louisiana Rural Water Association
- National Ground Water Association
- Private Well Class
- United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- United States Environmental Protection Agency
- United States Geological Survey
- Water Systems Council
Contact
For more information on private water well testing, please email PWI@LA.GOV, or call 1-888-293-7020.