Water, sewer, septic, and well check

A public water system usually has at least 15 service connections. A smaller system can also fit when it serves an average of at least 25 people for at least 60 days a year. Drinking Water Watch lists these systems. It shows contacts, water sources, tests, and rule problems.

A state small water system usually has 5 to 14 connections. It does not regularly serve an average of more than 25 people for at least 60 days a year. A county may watch it. A private home well often serves one home or just a few homes. The owner does most of the testing and care.

The Water Boards say to test a private home well at least once a year. The basic yearly tests are total coliform, nitrate, and electrical conductivity. Use a lab report that shows the units. A test strip or color kit is not enough. Add more tests after a change in taste, smell, color, nearby land use, flooding, or past pollution.

The state guide lists a nitrate limit of 45 milligrams per liter when the lab reports nitrate. The same limit is 10 milligrams per liter when the lab reports nitrate as nitrogen. The units tell you which number to use. A high result needs a new test and a safe-water plan. Boiling does not fix nitrate.

The new rental rule does not cover every rental well in the state. It covers a private home well on rental land only when the area has a free test program. A State or Regional Water Board must fund or run that program. The owner must use it.

The owner must give the test result and reading guide to each resident within 10 days. A bad result can also lead to free safe water. That duty applies only when the program offers the water and the home is eligible. The owner cannot pass the test or safe-water cost to the residents.

A completion report shows how and when a well was built. A pump or yield test shows how it performed during that test. A water-quality test shows what was in the sample on that date. Get all three when they exist, plus repair, treatment, disinfection, abandonment, and local permit records.

A green lawn, strong faucet, or clear glass does not answer water quality. A good lab result also does not show that the pump will meet a dry-season demand. For a purchase, note the sample point, treatment equipment, test date, pump rate, storage, and any shared-well agreement.

California has one main policy for septic systems. Counties and other local offices issue most septic permits. The answer can turn on soil, slope, groundwater, lot size, a spare drain area, system design, nearby bad water, and the amount of sewage the home will make.

A three-bedroom home plus a one-bedroom ADU is not an instant four-bedroom approval. The health office will check the old permit, tank, drain field, spare area, and added flow. Warning signs include a sewage backup, wet ground over the system, broken parts, or harm to nearby water.

A sewer home still has a private pipe from the building to the public main. This is often called the lateral. The city or sewer district sets who owns it and who must inspect or fix it. That office also sets cleanout, capacity, and hook-up fees. A building permit does not settle those bills.

A well job needs a local permit and the right contractor. California's C-57 license covers water-well drilling. Pump wires, pipes, water treatment, septic work, and grading may need other licenses or permits.