Requesting a Copy of a DNR Well Construction Report

How to Request a Copy of a DNR Well Constructor's Report

General Information

Since 1936 well drillers have been required by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to file a well constructor's report for any well drilled for drinking water use. One copy of this report is sent to DNR, a second to the home owner (or builder or subcontractor), and a third to the driller. Because DNR filed these reports (WCRs) by date and because DNR's concern was the construction of the well, and because no one realized how useful or important WCRs would become, the locations given on the WCRs were rarely checked. In 1980, the DNR began providing the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey (WGNHS) with these reports. WGNHS sorts and files these reports by location (county, township, range, and section) and handles many requests for copies of them.

Because the WCR reports list the name of the owner (or builder) at the time the well was drilled, and because the location information in many cases can be vague or incorrect (addresses are rarely given and many have changed), matching specific reports to specific wells is extremely difficult and time consuming, especially in densely populated areas. The more information you can provide about your property and well, the better the odds of matching a WCR. Even under the best conditions, WGNHS finds only 40-50% of the well reports requested. Some reports were never filed, some are probably mislocated, many are too vague to match, and some may have been lost over the years.

In 1988, DNR revised the well code and began requiring that all new wells (including driven point wells) be assigned a "Wisconsin Unique Well Number" (WUWN) and that all the information on the WCR be entered into a DNR computer database. The WUWN appears on the WCR (well construction report), and two gummed labels bearing the same number are sent to the homeowner or contractor. Instructions sent out with the labels state that one label should be placed on the water pipe where it enters the house, and the second label on the home's main electrical fuse box or circuit breaker box. The WUWN and the DNR database should make it easier to match the correct well construction report.

Fees

When you provide the complete and correct county, township, range, section, and if available, quarter section information for your property, the fee for a search and for mailing you the results is $10. If you want the results faxed to you, it costs an additional $5, for a total of $15.

If you are unable to provide this type of location information (it might be on your tax bill or on the deed to your property, or you could consult a plat book), but instead provide us with a map of your area with your location clearly marked, we will attempt to find your legal location and do a search for an additional $10, for a total cost of $20 by mail and $25 by fax. Fax service requires a MasterCard or Visa payment. Our fax number is 608-262-8086.

Requesting a Well Constructor's Report by Mail

Please send the completed request form (private well owners) and credit card information or a check for $10 or $20 (depending on type of order) payable to UW-Extension to:

WGNHS-WCR order
3817 Mineral Point Road
Madison, WI 53705-5100

If we are unable to find your specific WCR, we will send you several WCRs with locations close to the area you listed on your order form or marked on your map. Please allow about a week for processing of your request. We try to respond within a few days, but there are times when this is not possible. If you have any questions about requesting a WCR search, please phone Irene Lippelt at 608-262-7430.

View a sample image of a WCR.

For more information on Well Records, visit Wisconsin Geologic and Natural History Survey website at www.uwex.edu/wgnhs/well.htm.

For more information on Wisconsin Unique Well Number, view this WI DNR publication at http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/dwg/gw/pubs/wuwn.pdf.

The Wisconsin DNR Well Forms Program allows you to build your own electronic database of well information collected from eight DNR well related forms. For more information on this software program, visit WI DNR web page at http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/dwg/gw/software.htm.

goals and strategies | nitrate | pesticides | quantity
Back to Understanding Groundwater