Well Information Search Tips

The most effective way to find a historical well document is using ONLY the Well Tag Number.

• The well tag number is a unique number assigned to a well. IDWR starting using well tag numbers in 1997. The well tag number consists of a "D" followed by 7 digits (for example D0012345).
• A well's tag number can often be found on historical well documents or on the well itself. A well's tag number is printed on a metal plate (approximately 2" by 3") that is welded or riveted to the portion of the metal well casing that sticks above the ground.

The second most effective way to find a historical well document is using ONLY the Township, Range, and Section.

• This location information is available for all wells in Idaho.
• An example of this type of information is: Township 7S, Range 7E, Section 18
• Potential places to find this information:
  
  • Your County Assessor's Office
  • Property purchase documents or deed
  • Your real estate company

You also might be able to find a historical well document using ONE of the following criteria per search:

• Original owner of the well
• Well address
• Subdivision name

If your research involves a large area or a large number of well logs it may be to your advantage to contact IDWR to determine if your request can be accommodated in an automated manner.

IDWR Historical Well Document Database

• The database contains most of the well reports dating back to July 1987, prior to that the records in the database are less complete.
• The search provides the ability to view a scanned image of historical well documents, such as the Well Drillers Report. If the words "Related Documents" appear below the data, view the documents by clicking on the blue words. If you have difficulty viewing or printing the image, Microsoft Imaging or Kodak Imaging should be utilized.
• The search works best with the Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser.
• Try to narrow your search as much as possible to reduce the number of records displayed. However, if you are too specific (you enter several criteria), documents may be eliminated from your search results due to differences in the information submitted to IDWR such as spelling, etc.). If your first search does not produce the record of interest, try another search utilizing different criteria (ie. if the Well Tag Number doesn't produce results, search again using ONLY the township, range, section).
• Some older historical well documents on microfiche did not get transferred to the database. If you cannot find a document in the database, you might be able to go to an IDWR office and look through the microfiche records. If you would like to view microfiche records, please contact ahead of time the IDWR office you plan to visit to make sure the microfiche records are available.
• It is possible that the historical well documents you are looking for are not in our database. Well Driller Reports (well logs) were requested, but not required by the department until a few years ago. Prior to IDWR implementing a computer system to track historical well documents, it was very difficult to track/verify if Well Driller Reports were submitted.