Overview

This page offers essential guidance, tools, and links to help private well owners, domestic well users, and State Small Water Systems stay informed and prepared. Explore resources below to learn how to maintain your well, ensure water quality, and find support during water challenges.

For information about the development of Mendocino County's Drought Resilience Plan (DRP), please click here.

Resources for State Small Water Systems

This form is intended to help the County gather information about challenges faced by State Small Water Systems due to ongoing drought conditions. The County's role is to facilitate communication and coordination with appropriate agencies or resources that may provide support. Please note that the County is not a water supplier and does not provide water or mitigation services unless explicitly funded and supported through Federal, State, or Local programs. 

The Water Board's Water Partnership Toolbox is a collection of tools to help water systems share resources, including mutual aid templates and guidance and information on Joint Power Authority regulations

This is a step-by-step guide designed for water systems that want to consolidate with- ie., dissolve and be subsumed into - another water system. The guide mostly focuses on physical consolidation, although there is also some discussion of managerial consolidation.

Domestic Well Owner Resources

 Report Dry Wells - Department of Water Resources (DWR)

Be Well Prepared – Department of Water Resources (DWR)
The DWR Be Well Prepared campaign helps private well owners prepare for dry conditions and other water-related emergencies. It offers critical tools for monitoring well water levels, improving well maintenance, and reporting dry wells.

The 2025 Aquifer Risk map was developed to prioritize areas that may not meet safe drinking water standards for additional outreach and sampling efforts by identifying potential water quality risk. Due to limited water quality data for domestic wells and state small water systems, this map uses modeled and estimated data based on nearby wells of similar depths. This map is not intended to represent groundwater quality conditions at any given domestic well or state small water system location.

GAMA Program - State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB)
The Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program provides well owners with access to water quality data, testing options, and informational resources to manage domestic wells effectively.

Private Well Guidance - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The EPA provides resources to ensure safe drinking water for private well owners. Their tools include guidance on well construction, maintenance, testing schedules, and water quality protection. 

Individual Well Program – Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) and
Household Water Well and Septic System Loan/Grant Programs - RCAC
RCAC supports private well owners and small water systems with education, funding assistance, and programs for improving well infrastructure and water management. 

Private Well Class program - collaboration between RCAC and University of Illinois
The Private Well Class program provides a wealth of free educational resources to help homeowners learn how to care for their wells.

Drinking Water Guide for Domestic Wells – Community Water Center (CWC)
The CWC offers a comprehensive guide for domestic well owners and small water systems. It includes step-by-step information on water quality testing, state regulations, and community support resources.

Land Use - Mendocino County Environmental Health
The Environmental Health department, in conjunction with Planning & Building and the California Coastal Commission, is responsible for issuing permits for the construction of new wells in unincorporated Mendocino County. The Environmental Health Land Use page provides access to the Mendocino County Well Ordinance, Well Completion Report request forms, a well level monitoring worksheet, a guide to disinfecting your water system, and a water well construction permit application.

WellOwner.org - National Groundwater Association (NGWA)
The NGWA provides the fundamentals on well construction, pump maintenance, water testing, and finding a contractor.