Well Water in Pulaski County, IL: Testing, Contractors and Rules
About 995 households in Pulaski County, 44% of the county, rely on a private well. Nobody tests that water unless the owner does.
In Pulaski County, roughly 44% of households, about 995 homes, draw their water from a private well. Nobody tests it, treats it or inspects it unless the owner does.
Local rules for wells in Pulaski County
The rules that apply in Pulaski County are set at the state level in Illinois. New wells must be tested before use, and nothing is required at sale. Some counties and townships add permits or setbacks of their own, so check locally before drilling. The state's own recommendations are below.
At a glance
A permit from the county health department (or IDPH where the county has no delegated program) is required before a private well is drilled, the well must be built by an IDPH licensed water well contractor to the Illinois Water Well Construction Code (steel or approved plastic casing, grout, the setbacks from septic systems and other sources, a sanitary well cap above grade), and the contractor files a well construction report with IDPH. Under the code the new well is disinfected and a bacteria sample is collected, in most counties by the health department at the final inspection, before the well is approved for use; the health department's sign-off is what the building department wants before occupancy.
No statewide requirement. The Illinois Residential Real Property Disclosure Report asks the seller about the water supply and any known defects, and FHA, VA and USDA loans require a bacteria, nitrate and lead sample from a certified lab before closing. A few counties run point-of-sale well and septic inspection programs under local ordinance, so ask the county health department.
IDPH recommends testing a private well every year for coliform bacteria and nitrate, after any repair or flooding, and whenever the taste, color or smell changes; a chemistry panel (arsenic, iron, manganese, hardness, chloride, sulfate) when the well is new or every few years; and, depending on the aquifer, radium and barium for deep sandstone wells in northern Illinois, arsenic for wells in the Mahomet and other glacial aquifers of central Illinois, and pesticides and nitrate for shallow wells in farm country. County health department labs run the bacteria test cheaply, and the IDPH state lab tests samples submitted through the county.
No statewide free program. Most county health departments sell a bacteria (and often nitrate) sample kit for a small fee and explain the result, and the IDPH Division of Laboratories runs the bacteria test for counties without their own lab. The Illinois State Water Survey and university extension programs run periodic free nitrate and arsenic screening clinics in farm counties.
Getting your water tested near Pulaski County
The nearest certified lab is Environmental Analysis South in Jackson, about 28 miles from the county center. Mail-in kits fill the gap for anything it does not run.
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Licensed well contractors serving Pulaski County
No licensed contractor lists Pulaski County as a home base or service area yet. The finder below searches the whole state; most drillers travel several counties for a job.
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Well depth and water chemistry
Well depth and water chemistry in Pulaski County follow the rock underneath it. Typical wells here run 30 to 250 ft, varying with the geology more than in most states: shallow sand and gravel wells of 30 to 120 ft in the river valleys and central Illinois (Sangamon and Madison county medians are under 60 ft), 90 to 250 ft in the glacial drift of the Chicago collar counties (McHenry 70 to 200 ft, Lake 90 to 230 ft), and 200 to 660 ft for the dolomite and sandstone bedrock wells of Kane, Cook, Will, Jo Daviess and the northern tier; southern Illinois bedrock wells are 150 to 350 ft and low-yielding. Contaminants worth testing for in this part of Illinois include arsenic (naturally occurring in the glacial sand and gravel aquifers of central and northeastern illinois, including the mahomet aquifer, where roughly one well in ten is over the standard), iron and manganese (nearly universal in glacial aquifers).
Varies by location. Check the state well record search for logs of nearby wells.
- Arsenic (naturally occurring in the glacial sand and gravel aquifers of central and northeastern Illinois
- Including the Mahomet aquifer
- Where roughly one well in ten is over the standard)
- Iron and manganese (nearly universal in glacial aquifers)
- Hardness (very hard water statewide)
- Radium and barium (the deep Cambrian-Ordovician sandstone aquifer of northern Illinois)
- Coliform bacteria (old large-diameter bored and dug wells
- Common in southern Illinois)
- Nitrate and atrazine (shallow wells in corn and soybean country)
- Chloride and sodium (road salt in the Chicago collar counties
- And natural brine in deep wells)
- Hydrogen sulfide and methane (deep wells in the south and the coal counties)
- Fluoride (locally high in deep aquifers)
Neighboring counties: Alexander County, Union County, Massac County, Johnson County.
What well work costs in Pulaski County
National ranges from published 2025 to 2026 contractor pricing. Local quotes vary with depth, access and materials.
Questions Pulaski County well owners ask
How many homes in Pulaski County are on a well?
About 995, or 44% of households, based on Census housing data and state well surveys. The share is highest outside the towns with public water.
Where is the closest certified lab to Pulaski County?
Environmental Analysis South in Jackson, about 28 miles away. Call first to ask whether they accept homeowner samples.
Do I need a permit to drill a well in Pulaski County?
A permit from the county health department (or IDPH where the county has no delegated program) is required before a private well is drilled, the well must be built by an IDPH licensed water well contractor to the Illinois Water Well Construction Code (steel or approved plastic casing, grout, the setbacks from septic systems and other sources, a sanitary well cap above grade), and the contractor files a well construction report with IDPH. Under the code the new well is disinfected and a bacteria sample is collected, in most counties by the health department at the final inspection, before the well is approved for use; the health department's sign-off is what the building department wants before occupancy.
What does a well test cost near Pulaski County?
A bacteria and nitrate test runs $25 to $75 at most certified labs; a full panel with metals is $150 to $400. Mail-in kits cost about the same as walking in.