Every Story and Brief, by Section

This is the full list of what we have published, arranged by section: wells, water quality, groundwater and county rules, septic, tanks and pumps, fire and drought, and plumbing in the house. Stories are the longer pieces that work through a subject from the ground up, with a box of key figures, the agencies to call and a list of sources. Briefs are short items that answer one question. Every page shows the date it was last updated, so check that date before relying on a rule or a figure that may since have changed.

Wells

• Living on a Private Well: What the Owner Answers For

  Private well owners in San Luis Obispo County carry the whole job themselves: no agency monitors the water, so testing, upkeep and records fall to the household.

• How the Well Pump and Pressure Tank Share the Work

  A well pump and pressure tank work as a pair: the pump fills the tank, the tank holds water under pressure, and a switch decides when the pump runs.

• When a Well Runs Low: Signs, First Steps and Reporting

  When a well is running dry around Paso Robles, switch the pump breaker off, use stored or bottled water, have a C-57 contractor measure the well, and report it to the state.

• Drilling a New Well: Permits, Standards and the Paperwork After

  Drilling a new well in San Luis Obispo County starts with a county permit filed by a licensed C-57 driller, follows state construction standards, and ends with a well log filed with the state.

• BriefFinding the Well Log for Your Property

  To find your well completion report, search the Department of Water Resources' WCR map by address or coordinates, and ask a DWR region office if it is not there.

• BriefDisinfecting a Well: When, Who, and When to Retest

  Well disinfection, or shock chlorination, follows new construction, repairs, pump work or a bacteria hit; leave pump and wiring to a contractor, then retest 7 to 10 days later.

• BriefBefore You Hire Someone to Work on Your Well

  When hiring a well or pump contractor, check for a C-57 Well Drilling license on the state board's site; any job of $1,000 or more, or needing a permit, requires a licensed contractor.

• BriefAn Unused Well Has One Year Before the Law Calls It Abandoned

  Under California's abandoned well rules, a well unused for one year counts as abandoned unless the owner shows an intent to use it again; in SLO County that means filing a declaration.

Water Quality

• How to Test a Private Well in North County, and How Often

  Well water testing around Paso Robles means a lab check for bacteria and nitrate at least once a year, plus a full metals test at purchase and every few years.

• Arsenic in North County Wells: The Limit, the Test, the Fix

  Arsenic in well water has a California limit of 10 µg/L; it is mostly natural, common enough in the Paso Robles subbasin to be watched, and found only by a lab.

• Nitrate in Rural Wells: Why Babies Come First

  Nitrate in well water should stay under the 10 mg/L drinking water standard (as nitrogen); infants under six months face the greatest risk, and boiling does not remove it.

• Boron in the Well: No Legal Limit, but Vines Notice

  Boron in well water has no enforceable drinking water limit in California; the state's notification level is 1 mg/L, and grapevines can suffer above about 1 ppm.

• BriefA Free Well Test Is Available Across the Central Coast

  Free well water testing in San Luis Obispo County comes through the Central Coast Drinking Water Well Testing Program, which checks qualifying household wells for health-related contaminants.

• BriefHow Hard Is North County Water? The Published Numbers

  Hard water is the rule around Paso Robles and Atascadero: the two local systems that print hardness in their 2025 reports both land in the USGS "very hard" range.

• BriefWhen the Tap Smells Like Rotten Eggs

  Well water that smells like rotten eggs usually carries hydrogen sulfide, sometimes made inside the water heater; a sulfur smell in the air rather than at the tap means leave and call.

Groundwater & Rules

• The Paso Robles Groundwater Basin, in Plain Numbers

  The Paso Robles groundwater basin is a critically overdrafted subbasin of about 436,240 acres whose approved plan must bring pumping into balance by 2040.

• Household Wells and the Basin Rules: What the Exemption Covers

  A de minimis well under SGMA is a household well pumping 2 acre-feet a year or less for domestic use; in the Paso basin it pays no groundwater fee and is not regulated by the authority.

• Building in the Paso Basin: County Limits and the State Well Order

  In the Paso basin, county rules still bar land divisions and require well meters on new structures, though the 1:1 water offset for new homes expired on January 1, 2022.

• BriefReporting a Dry Well to the State

  To report a dry well in California, private well owners use the Department of Water Resources' online Dry Well Reporting System; a report records the shortage but is not a request for aid.

• BriefThe Basin's $22.90 Fee, and Why Household Wells Skip It

  The Paso Robles groundwater authority fee is $22.90 per acre-foot of consumed groundwater for fiscal 2026-27; rural household pumpers are not charged.

Septic

• How Septic Systems Work on Rural North County Lots

  A septic system in San Luis Obispo County is permitted by County Planning & Building under a county program approved in 2020, and EPA says most household tanks need pumping every three to five years.

• When a Septic System Starts to Fail, the Yard Usually Says So

  Septic system failure signs include sewage backing up, slow or gurgling drains, sewage odors and soggy or unusually green ground over the tank or leach field.

• Where New North County Homes Need Nitrogen-Reducing Septic Systems

  Nitrogen-reducing septic systems are required for new construction in Creston, Templeton North, Shandon, Jardine Road, Branch Road and Oak Hills West, to keep septic nitrate out of the groundwater wells draw from.

• BriefAn Open Septic Tank Can Kill, and So Can a Rescue Attempt

  The danger in a septic tank is a confined space full of gas you may stop smelling: never go in, lean in or reach in, and never go in after someone who collapsed.

• BriefPump Every Three to Five Years, Inspect More Often

  How often to pump a septic tank depends on use, but EPA says household tanks are typically pumped every three to five years and inspected every one to three.

Tanks & Pumps

• The Water Tank on the Hill: What Rural Owners Should Know

  A water storage tank on a rural home holds drinking water, fire water or both, and it stays safe only if its openings are screened, its lids stay shut and nobody climbs inside.

• Booster Pumps: Getting Tank Water Back to the House

  A booster pump for a water storage tank pushes stored water to the house at usable pressure, usually with a pressure tank, and it stops whenever the power does.

• BriefBuying Hauled Water: Ask for the State License First

  Hauled water for a rural home in California should come from a hauler licensed by the Department of Public Health, which licenses anyone carrying drinking water in loads of 250 gallons or more.

• BriefKeeping a Storage Tank Clean Starts Outside the Tank

  Cleaning a water storage tank is mostly prevention: screened vents, tight lids and protected overflow lines keep contamination out, and any job that needs someone inside belongs to professionals.

Fire & Drought

• How Much Water a Rural Home Must Hold Back for Fire

  Fire water storage for a new rural home in San Luis Obispo County starts at 2,500 dedicated gallons, and most projects end up with a 5,000-gallon tank.

• Defensible Space and Water Around a Paso Robles Ranch House

  Defensible space in the Paso Robles hills means 100 feet of managed vegetation under state law, plus hoses and stored water that firefighters can actually use.

• When the Power Goes Out, So Does the Well

  A power outage stops an electric well pump, so a rural home on a private well has only its stored water until power returns or a safely installed generator takes over.

• Stretching a Private Well Through the Dry Years

  Saving water on a well during drought starts with leaks and outdoor watering; as of late October 2026, the federal drought map shows no drought in San Luis Obispo County.

• BriefRunning a Generator Without Poisoning the House

  Generator safety in a power outage comes down to one rule: run it outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, away from windows, doors and vents.

In the House

• Hard Water and the Water Heater: What Owners Can Safely Do

  A water heater on hard water collects mineral scale and sediment; a 120°F setting, a free relief valve and a plumber's flush on the manual's schedule help.

• Softeners and Filters on a Well: Test First, Then Treat

  A water softener for well water removes hardness and some iron, not arsenic or nitrate; get an accredited lab test first, match the unit to the result, and retest after it is installed.

• Plumbing in an Older Ranch House: Pipes, Valves and Permits

  Old ranch house plumbing often mixes galvanized steel, copper and newer PEX; hard water and frost nights test it, and most repipes need a permit and a C-36 licensed plumber.

• Smell Propane? Leave First, Then Call 911 From Outside

  If you smell propane, what to do is simple: leave the building and the area first, touch no switches or phones inside, and call 911 and your propane supplier from outside or a neighbor's home.

• BriefFrost Nights Find Exposed Pipes. Thaw Them Without a Flame

  Frozen pipes in Paso Robles are a real winter risk: the in-town station averages 54.3 nights a year at or below 32°F, so protect exposed lines and never thaw one with a flame.

• BriefLaundry-to-Landscape Graywater and Rooftop Rain: The Basic Rules

  Laundry to landscape graywater in California needs no construction permit when it leaves house plumbing unaltered and meets the code's conditions; collecting rooftop rain needs no water right permit.

• BriefEvery Water Heater in California Must Be Strapped

  Water heater strapping in California is required for new, replacement and existing home heaters, with straps in the upper and lower thirds and the lower one at least 4 inches above the controls.

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