A significant segment of Macomb County's residents and small businesses rely on wells for their drinking water supply. Proper design, installation, maintenance and monitoring of drinking water wells is critical to the prevention of water-related diseases.
The Macomb County Health Department provides the following services to help minimize and prevent water-related illnesses and to prevent contamination of the groundwater:
- Evaluate proposed well drilling sites
- Issue installation permits
- Conduct inspections during and after installation
- Conduct bacteriological and partial chemical sampling
- Monitor the plugging of abandoned wells
Learn more about Your Water Well and Pump System
Applying for a well permit:
1. An accurate and complete request for a well permit must be submitted along with the appropriate fee via our EH Portal.
2. A digital site plan must be submitted with the permit request. The site plan must be legible and dimensioned (a scale of 1 inch = 20, 30 or 40 feet is preferred). The following must be shown on the site plan:
- Property boundaries
- Abutting streets and road right-of-ways
- Location and dimensions of easements Location of existing building(s), driveway(s), etc.
- Location and dimensions of proposed buildings(s), driveway(s), pond(s), etc.
- Location of wells (existing and proposed) on this and adjoining properties
- Location of existing and proposed onsite septic systems or sanitary sewer leads
- Location of underground and overhead utilities (existing and proposed)
- Any other physical features which may be pertinent
3. The property tax I.D. and legal description and/or survey shall be submitted with the request.
1. An accurate and complete request for a well permit must be submitted along with the appropriate fee via our EH Portal
2. The request shall include a scanned/digital site drawing indicating the location of the existing and proposed well area, along with the location of existing and proposed onsite septic systems or sanitary sewer leads
Contact the program supervisor prior to application to discuss specific requirements.
Well water testing
Our Department provides water sample collection services at no cost to residents/business owners in Macomb County that utilize drinking water wells. There are required fees for the laboratory processing and a discounted shipping fee per sample. If you have questions regarding what samples you should request or are experiencing a drinking water well quality issue, please contact this Department at environmental.health@macombgov.org for further guidance.
Commonly requested water samples (which have not been recently paid for as part of an installation permit):
- Arsenic
- Bacteriological (processed by MCHD-contracted lab)
- Bacteriological re-sample (processed by MCHD-contracted lab)
- Lead and copper
- Metals
- Partial chemical (Fluoride, Chloride, Hardness, Magnesium, Nitrate, Nitrite, Sulfate, Sodium, Iron)
- Semi-volatile organic chemicals (SOCs)
- Volatile organic chemicals (VOCs)
Most sample types are processed at the Michigan EGLE Drinking Water lab. View the condensed fee schedule or the complete listing of EGLE Lab well water tests (please add $2/sample for shipping)
Except for a new or replacement well sampling, water sample requests are to be made via the EH Services Portal. If you have questions concerning the results of your water well testing, please reach out to us at environmental.health@macombgov.org
Well water quality issues
Plugging abandoned wells
Non-community (type 2) water supplies
A non-community water supply (also known as a Type 2 or Type II water supply) is a water system that provides water for drinking or potable purposes to 25 or more persons for at least 60 days per year; or, has 15 or more service connections. In Macomb County, many churches, restaurants, and other facilities are classified as Type 2 water supplies.
Additional resources
Contact the Environmental Health Services Division
Mount Clemens: 586-469-5236 | Email: environmental.health@macombgov.org