Answer first: retaining the well is a separate approval question
Connecting a home to public water does not, by itself, establish whether its existing private well may remain in use. Ask the serving utility and the local well, health and plumbing authorities to evaluate the proposed arrangement before work begins. Obtain a defined answer for the actual parcel and intended uses: retain the well for approved separate purposes, continue another permitted arrangement, or close it under the applicable requirements. Permission to keep the source and acceptance of the plumbing are different decisions.
Do not connect the sources, use a hose to bridge systems, or experiment with valves to alternate the house between supplies. This guide is a planning and handover framework, not a piping design. The valuable outcome is a written arrangement whose boundaries a qualified provider can verify. A pump that still runs, an existing check valve or a seller’s account of past use does not resolve the change in service. Keep the well protected while its future role is being decided.
Describe the future uses before asking for permission
Write a short proposed-use statement. Name the house, outbuildings and outdoor uses presently served, then distinguish what public water would supply from what the retained well would supply. Include any shared users or businesses. Do not label every outside outlet irrigation-only without checking what it actually serves. A barn line, hose outlet or treatment branch may have a different purpose than the owner remembers. Mark uncertain connections as unknown for professional tracing rather than presenting a guessed diagram as an as-built record.
The Texas Water Development Board’s FAQ provides a bounded example: its discussion of community-water connections distinguishes statewide well rules, prohibited cross-connections and possible local restrictions. Those Texas statements are not permission for a property elsewhere. Use the example to ask the correct local questions, including whether a service agreement, municipal rule or other applicable restriction affects retention or disconnection. Ask who has authority to issue the answer and whether the utility must inspect the completed arrangement before accepting the new service.
Three decisions to keep separate
Make a file with a page for each decision. Record the authority, date, document and unresolved condition instead of reducing the whole project to “well approved.” If an answer is conditional, carry the condition into the provider’s scope and completion checklist. Ask for clarification when one office assumes another has approved the installation. The table is an organizing tool, not a substitute for local law or an engineering determination. It helps prevent an approval for one part of the project from being mistaken for approval of every part.
| Decision | Useful evidence | What it does not settle |
|---|---|---|
| Retain or close the well | Parcel-specific authority response and conditions | The safety of existing piping |
| Separate the supplies | Approved professional plan and accepted completion checks | The quality of retained well water |
| Continue owner responsibilities | Well records, assigned uses and maintenance/testing plan | Permission to reconnect sources later |
Commission the separation review, not a device purchase
Give a qualified plumber and well provider the existing layout, proposed uses and written utility conditions. Ask for a scope that identifies each source, connected branch, treatment component and potential route between systems. The provider should explain what must change, what will be removed or retained, which approvals are needed and how the final arrangement will be verified. Ask how the plan accounts for connections that are concealed or undocumented. An unresolved branch should remain an explicit limitation until its purpose is established.
EPA’s two-page cross-connection fact sheet addresses public-system programs and emphasizes local variation, trained personnel and records. It is not a homeowner device-selection chart. Do not buy a generic valve and ask an installer to make the paperwork fit it. The appropriate protective arrangement depends on the actual hazard and local requirements. Any specified components should be identified in the approved scope; inspection and testing responsibilities should be named. Avoid a temporary connection that quietly becomes permanent because both supplies seem to work.
Plan the transition and the household handover
Before the appointment, ask the utility and providers how service interruption, required inspection and commissioning will be coordinated. Identify who may operate utility equipment and whom the household should call if service is unavailable. Have an appropriate alternate-water plan when needed. Do not improvise supply through an outdoor hose while waiting for an inspection. Obtain the expected sequence in writing, especially when the well also supplies animals, another building or a shared facility that must not be overlooked during the change.
After completion, ask for an updated map that accurately distinguishes drinking-water outlets from any approved separate-use outlets. Obtain instructions for household members, landscapers and later contractors. Keep removed connections, retained equipment and required labels documented. The handover should explain what must not be changed and when another review is required. A later owner should not have to infer the system from pipe color or a handwritten note on a valve. Keep the utility contact and the well provider’s contact together with the accepted completion records.
Measurements, records and quote checklist
Prepare the well identification and available construction log; parcel and service-account identifiers; a list of existing and proposed users; the provider’s piping sketch; treatment and pump model records; relevant permits; and written authority conditions. Record locations from existing drawings or safe observations, not excavation. Ask the quote to separate tracing, design or permit coordination, construction, closure work if required, inspection and testing, restoration, and the final record package. Obtain actual provider prices rather than assuming public connection makes the remaining work inexpensive.
For a retained well, ask which inspection, protection and water-quality responsibilities continue for its permitted use. EPA explains that private-well owners remain responsible for household drinking-water safety and that federal Safe Drinking Water Act regulation does not generally cover private domestic wells. Public service at one branch does not certify water at another. If closure is required, obtain the qualified provider’s scope and the locally required closure record; turning off power or abandoning an unused pipe is not evidence that the well was properly closed.
Illustrative scenario: a garden-only well after connection
Imagine an owner connecting the house to a community system while hoping to retain the well for garden watering. This is an illustrative example, not a home we inspected. The old sketch shows a garden branch but does not identify a line into the garage. The owner asks the utility for retention conditions and commissions professional tracing. The garage line turns out to be part of the proposed review rather than an inconvenient detail omitted from it. No conclusion about approval is drawn from the fact that the garden faucet works.
The completed file distinguishes the utility’s acceptance, the documented separate arrangement and the retained well’s owner plan. If the authorities require closure instead, the owner obtains the applicable closure documentation and revises the intended watering plan. For existing well irrigation hazards, see our well irrigation cross-connection guide. For public-service ownership boundaries, use the water service-line file. Neither related guide independently authorizes this service conversion.
Frequently asked questions
Can I assume public water means the old well must be closed? No. Obtain the actual local determination. Does permission to keep the well approve its plumbing? No. Those are separate questions. Can a check valve prove adequate separation? Do not assume that; the qualified provider and authority determine the required arrangement.
Can I switch between sources for a trial? Do not improvise connections or valve experiments. Does municipal water certify the remaining well supply? No. Keep responsibilities for each source and use clear. Who resolves a suspected cross-connection? Contact the utility and qualified plumbing or well provider promptly and follow the responsible health authority’s water-use instructions.