You would not run your car for ten years without checking the oil and performing normal maintenance, yet often water supply wells are left in service for years without any maintenance or records.  Your well deserves the same attention as a high-priced sports car, after all a new supply well costs even more. 

Even with the maintenance the wells should receive, often record keeping of maintenance and performance testing is even more scarce than the maintenance itself.  Just as a vehicle history can tell you when it is time to repair or replace your car, proper records can make the difference between a well that can be repaired versus one that must be abandoned.

The objective of this study was to determine both the minimal and optimal levels and methods of record keeping.  Finite and meager budgets are the reality that exists for record keeping related to water well management.  With this in mind, traditional record keeping methods, along with more advanced methods, and third party monitoring and service were analyzed.  Case studies including specific examples of downfalls, in addition to successes, in the fitness, repair, and management of wells, related to record keeping, and analysis of records are examined.