Illinois county well guide

Well Water in Morgan County, IL: Testing, Contractors and Rules

About 766 households in Morgan County, 6% of the county, rely on a private well. Nobody tests that water unless the owner does.

Labs within 40 milesLicensed contractors
6%of households on a private well
Share on wells, county vs state
Morgan County6%
Illinois average9%
4licensed contractors serve the county
31 mito the nearest certified lab, IDPH Division of Laboratories (Springfield)
Nostatewide test required when a home is sold

Roughly 6% of Morgan County households, about 766, get their water from a private well rather than a utility. They are concentrated in the rural parts of the county, and they are on their own for testing.

Local rules for wells in Morgan County

Private wells in Morgan County follow Illinois's statewide rules, administered by Illinois Department of Public Health, Private Water Program. A water test is required when a new well is completed. There is no statewide test requirement when a home is sold, though lenders often ask for one. The cards below show the details and the official sources.

At a glance

Water test for a new wellRequired

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.

Water test when a home is soldNot required statewide

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.

What the state recommends

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.

Free or low-cost testingAvailable

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 Morgan County

1 certified lab within 40 miles serves Morgan County, starting with IDPH Division of Laboratories (Springfield) in Springfield (about 31 miles from the county center). Each card below shows whether the lab takes homeowner samples and which tests it is certified for.

1 certified labs within 40 miles

Licensed well contractors serving Morgan County

4 licensed contractors serve Morgan County, including Brennans Sheet Metal and Douglas W Hembrough. Each profile carries the state license number and the date we checked it, and the filters below sort them by drilling, pump work or treatment.

Well depth and water chemistry

Wells in Morgan County typically reach 40 to 50 feet; the median of 167 private water wells on the ISGS ILWATER map drilled since 2000 is 40 feet. What comes up with the water depends on the aquifer, and across Illinois the usual suspects are 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). A first full panel tells you which of them apply to your well.

Typical well depth

40 to 50 feet; the median of 167 private water wells on the ISGS ILWATER map drilled since 2000 is 40 feet

Contaminants to test for
  • 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: Scott County, Cass County, Greene County, Menard County.

What well work costs in Morgan County

Basic bacteria and nitrate test$25 to $75lab fee, homeowner sample
Full panel lab test$150 to $400metals, VOCs, radiologicals
Well inspection$250 to $550flow, pressure, visual, water test
Submersible pump replacement$1,200 to $4,500parts and labor
Pressure tank replacement$400 to $1,200installed
Whole-house treatment system$800 to $6,000softener, iron filter, UV, RO
New well drilled$5,500 to $25,000about $25 to $65 per foot
Shock chlorination$80 to $300or about $20 as a DIY job

National ranges from published 2025 to 2026 contractor pricing. Local quotes vary with depth, access and materials.

Questions Morgan County well owners ask

How many homes in Morgan County are on a well?

About 766, or 6% 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 Morgan County?

IDPH Division of Laboratories (Springfield) in Springfield, about 31 miles away. It accepts homeowner samples.

Do I need a permit to drill a well in Morgan 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 Morgan 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.