The groundwater here in Williams County is a “sole source aquifer”.  The U.S. E.P.A. designated the Michindoh aquifer as the sole source of drinking water for an area comprising 8 counties including parts of Allen, DeKalb, and Steuben counties in Indiana, Hillsdale and Lenawee counties in Michigan, and Defiance and Fulton counties and all of Williams County in Ohio.  This aquifer is the source of drinking water for thousands of people in rural areas and for many cities and villages in this region as well.  It’s very important that it be protected from contamination!  Cleanup efforts can be daunting and costly.  That’s why well drillers are licensed and inspected and must adhere to certain well installation standards.

Do you want to have your water sampled? You can come into our Montpelier office to pick up a sterile bottle and instructions or call 419-485-3141 to have a Sanitarian collect the sample.

Do you need to replace your old well and/or are you installing a new well? Contact the Environmental Division at 419-485-3141 to obtain a permit application.  A Sanitarian will visit the property before the permit is approved to assure that:

• the new well is not located in a flood plain
• if the well is a replacement well, that the replacement well meets state requirements if the flood plain cannot be avoided
• the new well meets separation distances from the wastewater (septic) treatment system, the old well, roadways, property lines, buildings, etc
• require that the old well be properly abandoned (sealed to prevent contamination from reaching the aquifer)

Once the well is drilled, a Sanitarian will:

• obtain a well log from the well driller.  The well log provides information about the depth of the well, how many gallons per minute it produces, the amount of grout used to protect the well from surface water and other sources of surface contamination
• sample the water for total coliform bacteria to assure it is safe to drink
• check the water for nitrates and nitrites to assure it is safe for infants to drink
• inspect the well installation to verify it meets State code requirements
• maintain a permanent record concerning the well