Effective Date: January 1, 2022
The Wood County Private Well-Water Systems Program is administered countywide. The program provides the opportunity to protect public health and the
environment as well as provide for the protection and safety of county citizens by inspecting new and existing well installations, discovering old wells
that should be filled and sealed, and learning more about groundwater and soil conditions within the county. The overall goal of the program is to protect
Wood County’s drinking water and groundwater resources.
Wood County Ordinance #708 allows local administration pertaining to Wisconsin Administrative Code - Chapters NR 812 and NR 845 – Well Location, and Well
and Drillhole Filling and Sealing.
Wood County Private Well – Water Systems Ordinance #708
Wood County administers the following delegation levels:
Level 1 – Private Well Location: Responsibilities include issuing well location permits for and inspecting new, replacement,
reconstructed or rehabilitated private wells.
Level 5 – Well and Drillhole Filling and Sealing: Responsibilities include requiring the filling and sealing of all unsafe, hazardous,
noncomplying and unused wells.
Well Location Permits
A county well location permit must be obtained by a property owner or their designated agent (well driller or pump installer) whenever a private well is
constructed, reconstructed or replaced anywhere in the county. Drilled, driven point, dug, bored, and jetted wells require a well location permit. A county
well location permit is NOT required for nonpotable wells. Below is the application for a county well location permit, as well as a variety of other useful
forms and resources related to the program:
Completed applications can be mailed into, or dropped off at, the Planning and Zoning Department:
Planning and Zoning Department
400 Market Street
Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - Well Driller Viewer provides an interactive map that details specific
setback, construction and approval information to assist well drillers in planning projects and meeting
requirements of NR 812. WDNR – Well Driller Viewer
A variety of useful information and resources for private well owners is available on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website.
WDNR – Private Well Owners
Well Filling and Sealing
Unsafe, noncomplying, abandoned, or unused wells pose a great threat to the safety and quality of groundwater drinking water supplies in Wood County.
An unused well provides a direct path for contaminants and pollutants to the underground aquifers that supply working wells. Wells must be properly
filled and sealed when they are removed from service. Drillholes and exploratory boreholes must also be properly filled and sealed when they are no longer
in use.
As of June 1, 2008, only licensed well drillers and pump installers can fill and seal wells under Wisconsin law.
The Wood County Land and Water Conservation Department provides landowner cost sharing assistance for properly filling and sealing wells. Please contact
Land and Water Conservation at (715) 421-8475.
Well Closure Assistance Brochure
ARPA Funding for Unsafe Wells
https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/aid/WellCompensation.html
Annual Reports
2022 Well Annual Report
2023 Well Annual Report
2024 Well Annual Report