Drinking water in Glastonbury is sourced from the Metropolitan District Commission, the Town of Manchester, community wells and private wells. The Connecticut Department of Public Health Drinking Water Section regulates municipal and community wells whereas the Town of Glastonbury Health Department regulates private residence drinking water wells. Regulations concerning the siting and construction of wells are found in Connecticut's Public Health Code. Our office has records for wells that have been installed since 1971.

Taking Care of Your Well

Since January 12, 1971, all new wells have been required to have the well casing extend at least 6" above the final grade.  Prior to that date wells were typically buried.  Buried wells are at risk of being contaminated by rain/surface water entering via the well vent, power conduit or a faulty well sanitary seal.  If you are having intermittent water quality problems then you should have the water tested and the well brought up to current public health code standards by extending the casing to at least 6" above the final grade.

You can safeguard your well by not storing or applying toxic materials near your well.  The well cap has vents that are screened to block the entry of insects but are otherwise open to the atmosphere, so lawn chemicals should not be applied in the vicinity of your well.  Download our Wellhead Protection document for more information.

Well completion reports for many of the homes in town served by private wells may be found on the Town's GIS.

Water Analysis

All newly installed wells are required to be tested for potability.  The sample shall be at a minimum analyzed for coliform, nitrate, nitrite, sodium, chloride, iron, lead, manganese, hardness, turbidity, pH, sulfate, apparent color, odor, arsenic and uranium.  It is good practice to test your well water every 5 years or if you notice some kind of change in the quality or quantity of water.  Additional information on private well testing can be found here.  Test kits for sampling your own water are available at the Health Department in the town hall.   Follow this link for a list of State certified environmental testing laboratories.

Water Treatment

The US EPA has set Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL's) for many contaminants that have a known health risk.  If your water has an exceedance of an MCL or other water quality issues it is recommended that you contact a water treatment professional.  Connecticut's Private Well program is a good source for further information on treatment.