Private well water in Yavapai County
Nobody tests your well but you. There is no legal limit on a private well, no annual report, and no utility to call — which makes the first panel the most useful money you will spend on it.
What Yavapai County wells actually carry
| What | Reference point | Why it matters here |
|---|---|---|
| Arsenic | EPA limit 10 µg/L | Naturally occurring in the local geology. Readings far above the limit have been recorded in the county. No taste, no smell, no color. |
| Coliform bacteria | Should be zero | A cracked casing or a bad seal is enough. The most important annual test and the cheapest to run. |
| Nitrate | EPA limit 10 mg/L | Septic systems and agriculture. Genuinely dangerous for infants under six months. |
| Iron & manganese | 0.3 / 0.05 mg/L | Orange and black staining on fixtures and laundry. Nuisance rather than health, but expensive in ruined fittings. |
| Hardness | USGS: hard above 7 gpg | City systems here report roughly 4–10 gpg. Private wells are untested and vary far more. Scale in the water heater is the real cost. |
| Uranium | EPA limit 30 µg/L | Present in some Arizona groundwater. Included in the $185 panel. |
Reference limits are the U.S. EPA National Primary and Secondary Drinking Water Regulations; the hardness threshold is the U.S. Geological Survey scale. Local readings are re-checked annually against Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and Arizona Department of Health Services publications.
What we can do today
- The $185 certified panel. 53 parameters, sampled at the wellhead or the tap, explained afterwards.
- Under-sink reverse osmosis from $829. The practical answer for arsenic and nitrate in the water you drink and cook with.
- Service and repair on what you already have. Cartridge changes, sanitizing, leaks, pressure problems, fixtures.
- An honest read of the report. Including telling you when the answer is that your well is fine.
Whole-house well packages — sediment, iron removal, softening and disinfection as one designed system — are priced on the pricing page for planning, but are not work CreekWell takes on today. See the licensing note.
Rural roads are fine
Williamson Valley, Skull Valley, Kirkland, Paulden, Walker, Groom Creek, out past Cornville — the well is usually a long way from the pavement, and that is normal here. There is no trip fee anywhere in Yavapai County, and no surcharge for a dirt road.
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.
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.
Do you test private well water in Yavapai County?
Yes. Private wells are the reason the 53-parameter panel exists.
Wells here carry arsenic, iron, manganese, nitrate and bacteria in combinations that change from one property to the next. The EPA limit for arsenic is 10 micrograms per liter and some county wells exceed it substantially. Nobody can tell you what is in your well without testing it, and a handheld meter cannot measure arsenic at all.
My well was tested when I bought the house. Is that enough?
No, unless that was within the last year for bacteria and three years for chemistry.
A well is a hole in the ground with a seal and a pump, and all three age. Test after any work on the well, after heavy monsoon runoff, and whenever taste, smell or color changes.
Is it worth treating a well that only has hardness?
That depends on your water heater, not your water.
At the 4 to 10 grains per gallon the local utilities report, scale shortens the life of water-heating appliances, though less aggressively than the numbers you will hear quoted by people selling softeners. Whether that justifies a softener is a straightforward arithmetic question about what those appliances cost, and it is a conversation worth having before you spend anything.
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.
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.