FAQs
How Do I Find A Water Services Professional?
Licensed Well Drillers – may be able to assist you through the life of your well, from drilling a new well, to inspecting, troubleshooting and repairing components when necessary, to abandoning the well when no longer needed. The Washington State Department of Ecology maintains a list of licensed well drillers.
Satellite Management Agencies (SMA) – are authorized to own and/or manage and operate public water systems. Group A and Group B water systems approved on or after July 23, 1995 are required to be owned or operated by a SMA unless one is not available. The Washington State Department of Health maintains a list of Satellite Management Agencies.
Certified Operators – are certified to operate and maintain public water systems and can help you operate your water system and maintain compliance with drinking water regulations. Those that operate and maintain 3 or more public water systems are known as contract operators. The Washington State Department of Health maintains a list of contract operators.
Other Service Providers: Pumps, Leak Detection, Backflow Assembly Testing (BAT) – can help you with a variety of water system needs. The Whidbey Island Water Systems Association maintains a list of service providers.
Water Quality
Ensure up-to-date tests* for coliform bacteria and nitrate. If you are still concerned about your drinking water or it has changed in color, taste, or odor you may want to get more tests. Color, taste, and odor problems may be troubling but may not be a health risk. To learn more, read this Fact Sheet from the Washington State Department of Health. Contact a state-approved lab for the cost of tests, how to collect the sample(s), and when and where to drop off the sample(s).
WATER TESTING RECOMMENDATIONS
| Conditions: | Test for: |
|---|---|
| Recurrent gastrointestinal illness | Coliform bacteria |
| Household plumbing contains lead | pH, lead, copper |
| Corrosion of pipes and/or plumbing | Corrosivity, pH, lead |
| Unknown arsenic level* | Arsenic |
| Septic system or agricultural area nearby | Nitrate, coliform bacteria, pesticides |
| Junkyard or landfill nearby | Volatile organic compounds (VOC), total dissolved solids (TDS), pH, sulfate, chloride, metals |
| Scaly residues and/or soaps don’t lather | Hardness |
| Water softener needed to treat hardness | Manganese, iron |
| Stained plumbing fixtures and/or laundry | Iron, copper, manganese |
| Water appears cloudy and/or colored | Color, iron, copper, manganese |
| Salty taste | Chloride, conductivity, sodium, magnesium, potassium |
| Objectionable taste and/or smell | Sulfides, corrosivity, metals |
Adapted from EPA 816-F-05-013 May 2005
*Check with your water provider
If you are applying for a WAV and are served by an individual well, a notice to your property title acknowledging elevated levels of arsenic, nitrate, or chloride, will be required to be recorded with the Auditor’s Office. If you are applying for a public water system and one of the contaminants is above the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL), you will also be required to record notice to title. The notice can be recorded separately on each property title or as a part of the water users’ agreement. If the primary MCL is exceeded, you will also be required to apply for a waiver to use this well as a public water source and install a treatment to ensure that water supplied to your customers meets EPA drinking water standards.
Coliform bacteria are organisms that are present in the environment and in the feces of all warm-blooded animals and humans. There are three different groups of coliform bacteria, each with a different level of risk. Total coliform bacteria are commonly found in the environment and are generally harmless. Fecal coliform bacteria are a sub-group of total coliform bacteria and their presence in water indicates recent fecal contamination. E. coli is a sub-group of the fecal coliform group. Some strains of E. coli can cause illness. First, determine if your water tested positive only for total coliform or if E. coli was present. If your water tested positive for E. coli you MUST BOIL water before any consumption until the issue is addressed. Now, the steps to undertake:
- Evaluate your well/water system for any unprotected openings and seal/screen any potential points of entry.
- You can re-test your system at several locations to narrow down possible sources of contamination (i.e. at the well, before/after pressure tank, before/after treatment, different faucets through your distribution system).
- Disinfect your well and entire distribution system, or disinfect problem areas such as pressure tanks, treatment etc. to eliminate the source of pollution.
- Collect coliform samples after disinfection
Hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S) can give water a “rotten egg” odor. This gas can occur in wells anywhere and be naturally occurring - a result of decay and chemical reactions with soil and rocks or produced by certain “sulfur bacteria” in the groundwater, well, or plumbing system. The first step is to identify the source of the smell:
- If your hot water smells like rotten eggs, it is likely because of your water heater. Contact a trained boiler inspector to see how this can be fixed.
- If your cold water also smells like rotten eggs, but only from the water treated by a water softener and not in the untreated water, the problem is likely to be sulfur bacteria in the water softener. Changing the water softener solution may solve this issue.
- If the smell is strong when the water in both the hot and cold faucets is first turned on, and it diminishes or goes away after the water has run, or if the smell varies through time, the problem is likely to be sulfur bacteria in the well or distribution system.
- If the smell is strong when both the hot and cold faucets are first turned on and it does not go away, the problem is likely hydrogen sulfide in the groundwater.
Based on the source of the smell, appropriate action can be undertaken, such as disinfection of the water heater, replacement of the water softener or solution, disinfection of the well and distribution system, and installation of proper treatment.
Wells
Contact a water services professional to help troubleshoot and fix the issue. The Whidbey Island Water Systems Association maintains a list of pump professionals and the Washington State Department of Ecology has a searchable list of licensed well drillers. Well drillers may be able to assist you through the life of your well, from drilling a new well, to inspecting, troubleshooting and repairing components when necessary, to abandoning the well when no longer needed. If an emergency water supply is needed for a public water system, the Washington State Department of Health has information on trucking in emergency water.
Water rights are issued by the Department of Ecology. You will need a water right if you plan to use any amount of surface water (from a river, stream, spring, or lake) for any purpose. You will need a water right if you plan to use groundwater (from a well) for any use unless you qualify for a groundwater permit exemption. The groundwater permit exemption allows domestic uses of less than 5,000 gallons per day, industrial uses of less than 5,000 gallons per day, irrigation of a lawn or non-commercial garden if it is a half-acre or less in size, and stock water. If you receive your water from a utility, you don't need a water right as long as your provider has the necessary rights.
Well drilling is under the jurisdiction of the Washington State Department of Ecology (ECY). You should contact a licensed well driller who will file all required documentation directly with ECY. Island County Public Health is not involved in the well drilling permitting process. Your well driller should ensure that a new well meets all Island County requirements listed in ICC 8.09.070 pertinent to well location. You can also request a well site inspection done by our office prior to drilling a well.
All wells serving 2 or more residential dwelling units on separate parcels or serving structures not meeting the definition of a single-family residence are considered public water system wells. Location of all public water system wells must be inspected and approved by Island County Public Health staff. That includes all wells proposed to serve new water systems as well as replacement or new wells for existing public water systems. See the Application for a Well Site Inspection.
There is no State law or County code that would prohibit drilling a single party well within the service area of an existing public water system. If a well is proposed for a building permit it would have to meet all requirements pertaining to location, water quality and construction. The property may still be subject to any water users’ agreements, bylaws and other documents that govern the water system and its service area. If there is no legal water users’ agreement the question of whether or not the property owner has a responsibility to share in the cost of the operation of the water system would be a legal question that needs to be referred to an attorney or a court for resolution.
If your parcel is too small/narrow to accommodate a well and its 100 feet pollution control radius, you can consider sharing a well with your neighbor, connecting to an existing public water system (pending approval) or find a location for an off-site well. In certain circumstances, you may apply for a waiver to reduce the well pollution radius.
After determining there are no available public water sources able to serve your parcel, a new source may be developed. Prior to drilling your individual or public water system well, the proposed site must be approved. Individual water sources must be inspected and approved by either a licensed well driller or the Island County Health Department. Public water sources (2 or more connections) must be inspected and approved by the Island County Health Department.
Setbacks and other requirements regarding well location include:
- Well site should be located on the highest ground possible, up-slope from potential contamination sources and should be protected from normal flooding and surface or subsurface drainage.
- You must have the right to exercise complete sanitary control of the land in a 100-foot radius around the well. Control can be gained through ownership or through other legal provisions such as recorded covenants.
- Maintain the greatest possible setback from the shoreline to mitigate seawater intrusion concerns.
- Minimum Setbacks:
- Well to septic tank - 50 feet (individual wells), 100 feet (public wells).
- Well to edge of septic system drainfield - 100 feet.
- Well to privies - 100 feet.
- Well to sewage transport pipelines - 50 feet (individual wells), 100 feet (public wells).
- Well to sewage or manure lagoon - 100 feet.
- Well to solid waste landfill - 1,000 feet
- Well to county road or state highway right-of-way - 100 feet.
- From concentrations of animals (e.g. stock water trough, feed rack, holding pens, chicken house or other poultry enclosure) - 100 feet.
- From property lines - 100 feet, unless neighboring property owner grants restrictive covenant.
- From all structures (e.g. house, garage, barn) - 100 feet for public wells only. (Well pump house and water reservoirs are an exception and may be within the 100-foot sanitary radius).
- From critical areas (e.g. streams and wetlands) - as determined by Island County Planning & Community Development.
- From bluff - as determined by Island County Public Works.
Greater setback distances may be required by the Health Officer based on geological and hydrological data or local water quality trends. In certain instances, a waiver from the above setbacks can be applied for.
A well log is the Water Well Report that a well driller is required to prepare and submit to the Washington State Department of Ecology when the well construction is completed. If you’ve been unable to find your well log/report after searching Ecology’s website, you may consider hiring a licensed well driller to create a well log for an existing well. Only a licensed well driller has that authority. Island County Code 8.09 requires submission of a “Well log” with the application for Water Availability Verification (prerequisite for a building permit) or a public water system.
There should be no livestock corral, no livestock shelter, no watering trough, no feed rack, or anything that will cause the animals to remain long enough within the well’s 100-foot pollution control radius that manure will be concentrated there. The well protection covenants also exclude all chicken coops, hog pens and any other structures for holding animals. A minimal amount of grass-mowing by means of livestock grazing can be acceptable on a minimal basis.
Island County Code Chapter 8.09 requires that each well be surrounded by an area of sanitary control. The Sanitary Control Area (Pollution Control Radius) is the area in which activities that could contaminate the drinking water source are not allowed. A purveyor (the person owning or operating a water system) must provide an area of sanitary control for a radius of 100 feet around a well and have legal control over that area through recorded covenants. Covenants are the legal tools used by purveyors to assure that no source of contamination will be constructed, stored, disposed of, or applied within the Sanitary Control Area.
Two types of covenants are used to protect water sources. A DECLARATION OF COVENANT is used when the well and the entire 100’ Sanitary Control Area are located on the same parcel, owned by the purveyor. A RESTRICTIVE COVENANT is used when all or part of the Sanitary Control Area is located on another property, even if the second parcel is also owned by the purveyor. In many cases, both types of covenants may be necessary to protect the water source.
Building Permits
The Island County Code ICC 8.09 - Drinking water- only allows service from an approved public water system or a drilled well that meets the requirements of the code as a source of potable water for a building permit. Alternative sources of potable water, such as rainwater catchment, tracked water, are not allowed for building permits issued in Island County at this time.
A WAV form is required for any residential building permit requiring a potable water, such as a single-family residence (new, replacement or remodel that increases water use) or detached additional dwelling unit (ADU).
It depends. If you have an individual well, then a detached ADU will be considered the same connection as your primary residence. Similarly for two-party wells, with one well serving two different parcels – each parcel can have a single-family residence and a detached ADU. In the case of Group B water systems, a detached ADU is considered a separate connection to the water system. Group A water systems, approved by the Washington State Department of Health, operate based on ERUs (equivalent residential units) and have the liberty to assign ERUs, or a fraction of, to each structure served by the system as long as the system’s approved capacity is not exceeded. ADUs that are part of the main residence are not considered a separate connection.