Residential and Type III Public Water Supplies

Before construction of a  private or Type III Public water well, or making extensive changes to an existing well, a person must provide District Health Department No.4 (DHD4) with Application for Permit describing the intended water well location and construction.  The application must be purchased, completed and then submitted to DHD4 for approval.

Construction of water supplies must comply with the state’s Well Construction Code and with DHD4’s local sanitary code. The Health Department conducts final inspections on completed wells at select locations to assure compliance with the Well Construction Code. Predrilling Site Evaluations and/or Random Construction Inspections will be conducted on the remaining well sites.

Wells must be constructed by well drilling contractors registered in the State of Michigan.  A person may construct a well for their own home; however they apply for a permit first, comply with construction codes, and be given written authorization from the Health Department to construct their own well based on a pre-drilling site visit.

For persons that wish to keep an existing well at locations where a new replacement well is constructed, additional information is needed.
Types of Drinking Water Supplies
APrivate (Residential) On-site water wells that serve water for consumption and house hold use to private homes
BPublic Water Supplies
Type ICommunity Water Supplies
These community water supplies serve municipalities and groups of homes where there are 15 or more living units.  They are regulated by the MDNRE.
Type IINon Community Supplies
These non-community water supplies serve 25 or more persons 60 days a year, or locations where there are 15 or more service connections.
Type III Public Water Supplies
This type of public supply comprises all public water supplies that are not Type I or Type II Public Water Supplies.

Other Water Supplies

A. Other Wells:

DHD4 regulates other types of water wells such as industrial wells, test wells, dewatering wells, geothermal wells, and irrigation wells.