Well Protection
Doing your part to protect our groundwater supply
If you're a well user, you play an important role as a water steward in Southern Nevada. You can help protect the groundwater supply by becoming knowledgeable about how your well works, taking steps to protect your well from contamination and checking the quality of your well water periodically.

Prevent groundwater contamination

• Don't pour hazardous materials down the drain.
• Don't put hazardous materials in the trash.
• Don't dump hazardous materials on the ground.
• Dispose of harmful materials properly.
• Take care of your septic system.

Ensure proper well abandonment
Abandoned wells can represent a significant risk to groundwater quality. If a well is abandoned without being properly sealed, it can act as a direct channel for contaminants to reach groundwater. To properly abandon a well, a licensed well driller must:

• Remove the pump/column from the well
• Clean any debris out of the well
• Perforate the casing to 50 feet above the static water level
• Plug the well with cement/grout from the bottom of the well to the surface

If you are aware of any abandoned wells, please contact the Groundwater Information Line at 258-7288.

Protect your wellhead
Protect your wellhead with these tips and information:

• Don't spill, store or dispose of animal wastes, fuels, pesticides, fertilizers, paints and other harmful products within a wellhead protection area or within the wellhead protection area of adjacent properties.

• Test your well water at least once each year if you are a private well owner for coliform bacteria and at least once every three years for the Routine Domestic Water Analysis. For more information, call a certified private lab. These organizations may be helpful:
  • The Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) can provide a list of State of Nevada Certified Laboratories. The SNHD also will provide an interpretation of your lab results upon request.
  • The University of Nevada, Reno Water Data Interpreter will assess your lab results.

• Develop wells only outside areas of potential contamination. A well should not be located near corrals, pastures, feed lots or drainage ways of underground fuel storage tanks.

• Establish a wellhead protection area. The area should be a circle around the well that has a minimum radius of 100 feet from the wellhead.

Well Maintenance
Any well serving two or more homes is required to have a meter installed and maintained near the discharge pipeline near the point of diversion. The well users must maintain the meter and keep accurate readings of the water use.

Most large plumbing-supply dealers carry "totalizing" meters, which can be installed by the holder of a groundwater permit. A well service company also can supply and install the meter for the permit holder. Call around for quotes as pricing varies.

What the Groundwater Management Program is doing
As part of the Las Vegas Valley Groundwater Management Program, the Southern Nevada Water Authority has initiated a real-time water level monitoring program. Additionally, the planning process has began to develop the valley's first Aquifer Protection Plan.

Groundwater from the Las Vegas groundwater basin varies in quality, depending on the location and depth. Water from the principal aquifer is generally of drinking water quality. It's considered fresh and typically has a mineral or salts content below 1,000 milligrams per liter or 1,000 parts per million gallons.

Water from the shallow aquifer is generally not drinking water quality. It's typically high in salts and minerals, may have contaminants, and comes from sources such as excess landscape irrigation and septic systems that seep into the ground.