Groundwater & Wellhead Protection

In most urban communities, public water utilities and municipalities are established to help treat and supply drinking water to households and businesses within a specific area.

East Lansing-Meridian Water and Sewer Authority uses its wells to pump groundwater through an extensive filtration and treatment process that meets federal regulations. The water quality is regularly tested and reported in their annual Water Quality Report (a Consumer Confidence Report). These reports provide information on water quality from the previous year and include details about where your water comes from, a list of regulated contaminants, potential health effects, and contamination levels for your specific water provider compared to national standards.

Visit the City of East Lansing's Annual Water Quality Report webpage for current and past reports.

A wellhead protection area is the surface and subsurface zone around a water well or well field (a group of wells) that supplies a public water system, where contaminants are likely to move toward and reach the well location(s) where groundwater is accessed. Identifying these zones helps protect our wells and prevent potential contamination of our drinking water. East Lansing-Meridian Water and Sewer Authority (ELMWSA), Meridian Township, and the City of East Lansing maintain an active wellhead protection plan to support these efforts.

Michigan has a voluntary program called wellhead protection plans, which help reduce the risk of water contamination by identifying and safeguarding the areas that supply municipal water sources. The plan is divided into seven parts and includes management strategies to minimize contamination risk, contingency plans, plans for new water sources, and public education efforts. To learn more about Meridian’s local plan and the members of the wellhead protection team, check out ELMWSA’s recently published 2025 Wellhead Protection Plan.

Like many other household appliances, owning a private drinking well on your property requires regular maintenance and care. Although government standards regulate public water suppliers, a homeowner with a private well is responsible for their water and the maintenance of the associated infrastructure. This includes regular upkeep of the well components and monitoring the water quality. To learn more about how to do this, check out the Groundwater Management Board’s Private Well Maintenance Card.

If you are unsure whether you have a well on your property (an abandoned well may remain if a home was recently connected to township water) or if you are seeking more information about your well, you can find records through Michigan’s Wellogic Well Records program or by contacting your local health department, Ingham County Health Department. Additionally, selling a home or transferring property in Ingham County requires that the well and septic systems be inspected before closing. Please refer to Ingham County’s point-of-sale brochure for more details.