Drilling a Well in Rural Spokane County: What to Expect

Buying rural land in Spokane County often means providing your own water. Whether you're building near Elk, Valleyford or Medical Lake, here's a plain-English overview of what drilling a private well involves.

Water rights and permits

In Washington, most single-family domestic wells fall under a permit exemption, allowing a limited amount of groundwater withdrawal without a formal water right. However, the well itself must be drilled by a licensed driller and a well report (well log) must be filed with the Washington Department of Ecology. Always confirm current rules before you begin — exemptions have limits on watering acreage and lawn area.

How deep will you need to go?

Well depth varies enormously across the county. On parts of the West Plains and Palouse-edge areas near Spangle and Fairfield, water can sit fairly deep. Closer to the Spokane River valley and the aquifer, it may be much shallower. A local driller who knows the neighborhood's well logs is your best source for a realistic estimate.

What drives the cost

The biggest cost factors are:

• Total depth — you generally pay by the foot.
• Casing and materials — deeper wells need more steel or PVC casing.
• The pump system — submersible pump, pressure tank and wiring.
• Geology — hard basalt bedrock, common in our region, drills more slowly than softer ground.

Questions to ask your driller

Before signing, ask about their WA Ecology license number, whether they'll pull nearby well logs to estimate depth, what happens if the first hole comes up dry, and what water-quality testing they recommend after completion.

After the well is in

Test your water for bacteria, nitrates and arsenic — all of which show up in some Inland Northwest groundwater. Retest periodically, especially after any nearby construction or flooding.

Start by comparing licensed well drillers who serve rural Spokane County.