Drinking Water Safety
Cowlitz County Health & Human Services (CCHHS) helps keep our drinking, bathing and wash water safe by monitoring public water systems, reviewing plans for new systems and wells, and providing resources to property owners.
The CCHHS drinking water program works in partnership with the Washington State Department of Health and the Washington State Department of Ecology to ensure safe and reliable drinking water in our public water systems.
If you have a well on your property for drinking water, or you share it with one neighbor, you have an “individual” or “shared” well. CCHHS is responsible for the certification of potable water for individual and shared (two-party) water systems, pursuant to the Growth Management Act. Water Availability is the process by which CCHHS determines whether a well provides potable water.
If you share a water system/well with 3-14 other properties, your water comes from a “Group B” system, a shared well in a small subdivision or neighborhood. CCHHS regulates Group B public water systems under WAC 246-291 and the “Cowlitz County Group B Ordinance”. Group B Public Water Systems are those systems that serve less than 25 people per day and consist of 3-14 connection residential systems or non-residential systems that serve less than 25 people per day.
Group A Water Systems (larger systems like cities, counties, and districts)
If you pay a water bill to a city, county, or water district, your water comes from a “Group A” system. The Washington State Department of Health regulates Group A Public Water Systems (15 or more connections, or 25 or more people per day for 60 days or more per year).
General Water System Information