Water testing
53-parameter certified lab panel, sampled at your house.
$185Flat rateDetails
Service area
Well water and plumbing in Chino Valley
Including Paulden. This is well country — which means the water question here is a chemistry question, not a taste one.
Chino Valley
What the water is like here
Chino Valley and Paulden sit over the Big Chino sub-basin, and a large share of properties out here are on private wells rather than a municipal line.
That changes the whole conversation. A city customer gets an annual report and a utility that is legally accountable for what comes out of the tap. A well owner gets neither. There is no legal contaminant limit on a private well in Arizona and no required testing — the only standard applied is the one the owner chooses to apply.
Which is why the recommendation here is always the same and always first: run the $185 panel. Everything after that is an informed decision. Everything before it is guessing with equipment.
Sourced, not estimated
The published numbers for Chino Valley
| Measure | Published figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Hardness | Not published. The town’s report has no hardness row, and it is not obliged to have one — hardness is unregulated. If you want the number here, it has to be measured. | Chino Valley, 2024 |
| PFOA | 8.77 ppt, range 3.09–8.77, against the 4.0 ppt limit printed in the town’s own table. The PFAS limits are new and phase in over several years, and compliance is judged on a running annual average, so this is not a violation — it is a number worth knowing before the deadline arrives. | Chino Valley, 2024 |
| PFHxS | 6.93 ppt, range 3.12–6.93 | Chino Valley, 2024 |
| Arsenic | Highest 7.7 ppb, against a limit of 10 | Chino Valley, 2024 |
| Nitrate | 2.46 ppm, range 1.7–2.46 | Chino Valley, 2024 |
| Source | Groundwater wells in the Little Chino sub-basin | Chino Valley, 2024 |
Every figure above is reproduced from the linked report. Where a utility does not publish a measurement — hardness is unregulated, so most do not — this table says so rather than printing a number nobody can check.
Local detail
What to look for out here
- Arsenic. Naturally occurring in the local geology. EPA limit is 10 µg/L for public systems; your well has no limit at all. No taste, no smell, no color.
- Nitrate. Septic systems and agriculture, and there is plenty of both here. EPA limit 10 mg/L, and genuinely dangerous for infants under six months.
- Coliform bacteria. A cracked casing or failed seal is enough. Cheapest test on the panel and the most important one to repeat annually.
- Iron and manganese. Orange and black staining on fixtures and laundry. Nuisance rather than health, but expensive in ruined fittings.
After monsoon season
Heavy runoff is a good reason to re-run bacteria on a well, particularly if the wellhead sits low or the seal is old. It is a cheap test and the answer is either reassuring or genuinely important.
New to the property?
A well that tested clean for a previous owner five years ago tells you nothing about today. Casing, seal and pump all age. Test before you assume.
What we do in Chino Valley
Reverse osmosis
Under-sink drinking water, installed, hole drilling included.
from $829InstalledDetailsDrain clearing
Any drain in the house, including the main line.
$179Flat rateDetailsWater heater service
Flush, anode, valves. Tankless descaling from $250.
from $250DescalingDetailsWhole-house well packages — sediment, iron removal, softening, disinfection — are reference-priced but not currently installed. Point-of-use reverse osmosis is, and it is the practical answer for arsenic in the water you actually drink.
Service status — September 2026
Rebranding, and adding licenses
Aqua Cat Plumbing & Water Treatment is now CreekWell Plumbing & Water Treatment. Same owner, same phone number.
We are adding Arizona contractor licenses, and we are not booking new work until that is done — a few weeks. Jobs already on the schedule are not affected.
For new work, hold a place in the first round or call or text 928-228-5770. Bookings go in the order they come in, at the prices published on this site. No deposit.
Straight answers
Questions we get asked
Can you come out right now?
Not for new work. We are rebranding and adding Arizona contractor licenses, and we are not booking new jobs for a few weeks. Jobs already on the schedule are not affected.
Leave your name on the list or call or text 928-228-5770. Bookings go in the order they come in, at the prices published on this site, with no deposit.
How often should I test a well in Chino Valley?
Bacteria annually; the full chemistry every three years, plus after any change.
Also test after work on the well, after heavy monsoon runoff, if taste or color changes, and before buying the property. Nobody else is checking.
Is arsenic really a problem in the Big Chino area?
It is a known regional concern, and it is undetectable without a lab.
Arsenic occurs naturally in Arizona groundwater. The EPA maximum contaminant level of 10 µg/L applies to public systems, not to your well — but it is the sensible yardstick. No handheld meter measures arsenic.
What can you actually install out here for arsenic?
Under-sink reverse osmosis, from $829 installed — the water you drink and cook with.
Whole-house arsenic removal is reference-priced at $4,750 but is not work CreekWell takes on, because it exceeds the $1,000 exemption limit. For most households the point-of-use system is the affordable, effective answer.
Not a licensed contractor
Work is performed under the Arizona handyman exemption, A.R.S. § 32-1121(A)(14): any single project is limited to less than $1,000 including labor and materials, and excludes work requiring a building permit and all natural gas and propane work. Neil Staiger has 32 years of Arizona plumbing experience and holds current manufacturer certifications from Moen, Kohler, Navien, Rinnai and Charger Water Treatment Products. More about that. Additional Arizona contractor licenses are in progress.
The list
Hold a place in the first round of appointments
New work is not being booked for a few weeks while we rebrand and add contractor licenses. Jobs already scheduled are not affected.