Drinking water ordinance

Clark County Public Health is proposing a new drinking water ordinance to help ensure safe and reliable drinking water for Clark County residents. If approved, the ordinance will align county code with current state requirements, clarify local standards, and provide more consistent public health protection. 

Many of the existing requirements for new drinking water well construction and design would remain the same under the new code. No new fees are being proposed. 

The proposed ordinance would:

  • clarify requirements for individual wells, shared water systems and Group B public water systems
  • establish clearer ownership and responsible-party requirements
  • provide operation and maintenance support to well owners and small water systems
  • clarify requirements when an existing water system is modified or expanded
  • clarify requirements for inactivation and decommissioning of wells and water systems

The proposed ordinance would also provide a clear role for Clark County Public Health staff to regularly visit small group water systems, enforce sanitary control areas and respond to threats from emerging contaminants. These actions help to protect Clark County’s drinking water supply and water quality. Almost all water used in Clark County comes from a sole-source aquifer which is susceptible to contamination. 

Ordinance process

Clark County Public Health engaged a range of partners while developing the proposed ordinance, including local health departments that already have requirements, well drillers and other industry professionals. The Washington State Department of Ecology, which oversees water rights and well drilling licenses, and the Washington State Department of Health, which sets the standards for drinking water, have both contributed to final version of the ordinance. If the ordinance is approved, Clark County would become the 27th local health jurisdiction to implement drinking water regulations to oversee small group water systems since state regulations changed in 2014. 

Next steps
  • Sept. 30: Clark County Council work session
  • Oct. 20: Clark County Council public hearing
  • Jan.1, 2027: If approved, code requirements go into effect

For meeting details, visit the Clark County Council Meetings webpage.

Determination of Non-Significance

Clark County Public Health has issued a determination of non-significance (DNS) under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Rules (Chapter 192-11 WAC) to adopt a drinking water ordinance. After review of the completed environmental checklist and other supporting information on file with the agency, Clark County Public Health has determined that this proposal will not have a probable significant impact on the environment. Project specific environmental impacts shall be evaluated during individual project design processes.

The DNS is available electronically or available at no charge from Nikki Guillot, Environmental Resource Protect Manager.

The public is invited to submit written comment on this DNS no later than October 17th, 2026.

  • Email comments to Nikki Guillot 
  • Written comments may be submitted to: 
    Clark County Public Health 
    Nikki Guillot 
    PO Box 9825 
    Vancouver, WA 98666-9825.

Frequently asked questions

tag

Existing systems will not be required to change their system if the code is adopted. Clark County Public Health will continue to enforce state requirements for siting, design and construction of new wells. And new requirements will apply for operations and maintenance of small group water systems and individual wells. 

tag

No new fees are proposed in the new drinking water ordinance.

tag

Contact Clark County’s Environmental Public Health team via email. 

tag

The proposed ordinance does not address PFAS contamination. However, Clark County Public Health is working with partners to monitor and understand emerging data about the prevalence of PFAS in drinking water. Each of the local public water systems have information for their customers about PFAS in drinking water on their websites.  Learn more on Clark County Public Health’s PFAS webpage.

 If you have a private well or a small group water system, you may be eligible for free water quality testing. Please contact Clark County’s Environmental Public Health team via email for more information. 

Related links