Water is supplied to your home from either a public water supply or a private well.  It's important to determine how your water is supplied in order to understand how your water quality is monitored and who to contact when you need help.

A general rule to follow is if you get a bill for your water, you are likely on a community water supply. 

Please watch our EGLE MI EnviroMinute: Community Water Supplies to learn how water travels from a local community water supply through a home and to its faucets.

Or watch EGLE MI EnviroMinute: Private Household Well Water to learn about how a water well pulls water from deep in the ground and pumps it into your home to your faucet. If your water is supplied by a private well, contact your local health department. You can find their phone number at MALPH.org.: Well Water Video

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is responsible for enforcing the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act under the legislative authority of the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act, which means that EGLE regulates the public water supplies to ensure that they are complying with state and federal requirements to provide clean water to Michigan residents. There are approximately 1,400 community water supplies and 10,000 noncommunity water supplies regulated by EGLE.

Additionally, EGLE also regulates the water well drilling industry. Michigan has nearly 1.12 million households served by private wells, with approximately 15,000 domestic wells drilled each year. EGLE investigates drinking water well contamination and oversees remedial activities at sites of groundwater contamination affecting drinking water wells.

Local health departments (LHDs) are the primary regulatory agencies with respect to residential wells. They are required to maintain a list of environmental contaminants within their jurisdiction, and they consider this information when they issue permits for new wells. Local Health Departments work with Michigan residents to ensure compliance with monitoring and routine inspections of Type II and III wells. Your Local Health Department is usually at the district or county level, and its phone number can be found in a local telephone book or online at MALPH.org.

To learn more about your drinking water quality, contact:

• Your public water supplier for their Annual Water Quality Report also known as a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).
• Your local health department if you have a private residential well.

Most contaminants in water have no taste, color, or smell. The only way you might know if you have a problem is to test your drinking water.

The water coming to your home may already be regularly tested for certain contaminants depending on your water supply.

• Type 1 community public water supplies are required to routinely test the water for certain contaminants. Your water supplier and their annual Consumer Confidence Report can provide information on testing and results.
• Type 2 noncommunity water supplies are required to routinely test the water for certain contaminants.  Your water supplier and your local health department can provide information on testing and results.
• Type 3 public water supplies are required to test the water when the well is constructed. Talk with your landlord or community association to find out who is responsible for the well, testing, and maintenance and about testing schedules and results.
• If you have a private residential well, testing is your responsibility. Check with your local health department to learn if there are any drinking water concerns in your area and what testing is recommended. MDHHS recommends testing annually for coliform bacteria and E.coli, nitrate and nitrite, testing every 3-5 years for arsenic and lead, and at least once for PFAS. Visit the Protect Against the Unknown: Test Your Drinking Water From Your Well fact sheet to learn more

If you have concerns about your water quality or want to know more about your water, consider doing your own testing.

Drinking Water Testing

Drinking Water Testing for PFAS

If you live near a potential PFAS source or if you are unsure, consider testing your drinking water via a certified PFAS Laboratory. Call MDHHS at 800-648-6942 to see if your home is in an area that is under investigation for PFAS, in which case MDHHS may be able to test your water for free.