Overview

This page offers essential guidance, tools, and links to help private well owners, domestic well users, and those involved in the operation or management of 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.

Water System Operator Resources

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 SAFER Dashboard is an interactive map that displays the status of community water systems in terms of water quality, accessibility, affordability, and technical managerial financial capacity, using data from the 2025 Drinking Water Needs Assessment.

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.

RCAC offers live and archived trainings for water system operators, managers, and board members on topics such as water sampling, budgeting for small systems, leak repair, and more.

The CRWA offers trainings for water system operators on a wide variety of topics.

This program provides technical assistance to rural water systems that are experiencing day-to-day operational, financial or managerial issues. Rural water system officials may request assistance from the National Rural Water Association State Association or the local Rural Utilities Service office.  Rural Utilities Service staff may also request assistance on behalf of the system.

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 CASGEM Online System provides public access to seasonal and long-term groundwater elevation data submitted by local entities through the CASGEM Program.

The USDA offers home repair and disaster assistance grants and loans for low-income homeowners in rural areas. These programs are designed to help homeowners repair, improve, or modernize their homes or remove health and safety hazards.

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.

DPR's Well Inventory Database provides public access to information about wells sampled for pesticides by DRP and other agencies. Testing for non-pesticide water parameters (i.e., pH, salt, calcium) is not included in this database.

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.

The CWC Drinking Water Tool tells you who makes decisions about your water supply and quality, potential threats to groundwater quality, potential impacts to groundwater supply from future droughts, and how to get involved in local groundwater management decisions.

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.