Arizona has stringent permit and well construction requirements for new domestic water supply wells, but once a new well is drilled and equipped, the responsibility for the care of the well falls clearly on the well owner. Proper well care and maintenance of a well can have a positive effect on the wells yields and water quality in the years following its initial construction. Neglect of your water well and the associated equipment can lead to major maintenance expenses and compromise the quality of water coming from your well.
The Arizona Department of Water Resources well website can provide a wealth of information for the private domestic well owner about his/her well. Construction diagrams, geologic logs, and well equipment details of all permitted water wells in the state are required to be on file with the ADWR. Private well owners are encouraged to check their own well records on file with the ADWR, and keep that information up to date (Hix, 2011). Maintaining the current owner of record and well equipment information in the ADWR records is the responsibility of all Arizona registered well owners. Up-to-date records on aquifer characteristics, well construction, and pump equipment are necessary for efficient troubleshooting and repair of wells.
The Arizona Groundwater Management Act of 1980 defines wells having a pump capacity of not more than 35 gallons per minute (gpm) as “exempt wells” because exempt owners are not required to report how much water they pump. These wells are also exempt from most state health and safety regulations, including those regulations that require public supply wells to meet the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Quality standards (Artiola and Uhlman, 2009). Exempt wells are typically those used for domestic or household purposes, stock watering and landscape irrigation.