Chesterfield Township is one of Macomb County’s most diverse communities for residential development. Along the Lake St. Clair waterfront and in the township’s denser western corridors, municipal water service is well established. But Chesterfield is a large township, and as you move east and north — toward the more rural sections of the community, the larger lot subdivisions, and the agricultural land that still defines parts of the township’s interior — the municipal water grid thins out considerably.
If you own or are purchasing a rural lot in Chesterfield Township and you’re not sure whether municipal water service is available at your property, you’re not alone. The answer varies street by street in some parts of the township, and the consequences of assuming wrong — in either direction — can be costly.
Ries Well Drilling has served Chesterfield Township and all of Macomb County since 1983. Here’s what homeowners on rural and semi-rural lots in Chesterfield need to know about private wells.
STEP ONE: CONFIRM WHETHER MUNICIPAL WATER IS ACTUALLY AVAILABLE
Before planning a well, confirm your property’s water service status. Contact the Chesterfield Township offices or the Macomb County Department of Planning and Environment to ask specifically whether a water main runs adjacent to your parcel and whether a connection is available.
If a water main is nearby but a connection would require significant infrastructure costs—a long service line, road crossing, or extension—a private well may still be the more economical choice, even where service technically exists. Get a connection cost estimate alongside a well drilling estimate before deciding.
For parcels in the township’s more rural interior and northeastern sections, municipal water simply isn’t available, and a private well is the only option.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR PROPERTY’S WATER NEEDS
Before drilling a well, it helps to have a clear picture of your household’s water demand. Match the size and capacity of your well system—especially the pump and pressure tank—should be matched to how much water your household uses.
A standard single-family home in Chesterfield Township with two to four bathrooms, a typical appliance load, and no irrigation system has well-understood water demand that a conventional residential well system handles comfortably. But if you’re planning significant irrigation, a pool, water-intensive livestock, or a home business with high water use, include those factors in your conversation with your well driller before selecting system components.
WHAT DRIVES WELL DEPTH IN CHESTERFIELD TOWNSHIP?
Chesterfield Township sits in the St. Clair County and Macomb County boundary region, and its underlying geology reflects the broader pattern of southeastern Michigan: glacial deposits of sand, gravel, and clay overlying sedimentary bedrock. Water-bearing formations exist in both the glacial materials and the bedrock depending on location.
In many parts of Chesterfield Township, productive water can be found at relatively modest depths in glacial sand and gravel aquifers. In other areas, drilling through clay-dominant glacial material to bedrock is necessary to find adequate yield and quality. Ries Well Drilling’s familiarity with drilling history throughout Macomb County — including Chesterfield Township’s various geological zones — allows them to give homeowners a realistic depth estimate based on neighboring well records before the rig is ever mobilized.
Depth matters financially because well drilling is priced per foot. Knowing the expected depth range going in helps you plan your budget more accurately.
THE PERMITTING PROCESS FOR CHESTERFIELD TOWNSHIP WELLS
All new well installations in Macomb County require permits from the Macomb County Health Department. The permit process includes reviewing your proposed well location, confirming setback compliance from your septic system, property lines, and any potential contamination sources, and obtaining Health Department approval before drilling can begin.
Ries Well Drilling manages permit applications for their clients throughout Macomb County, including Chesterfield Township. They’ll handle the paperwork, coordinate the site layout with setback requirements, and schedule drilling once approval is received.
One important note for Chesterfield Township properties with septic systems: the well and septic locations need to be coordinated. Michigan setback requirements specify minimum distances between the well and the septic tank, drainfield, and any future septic expansion area. If you’re installing both systems on a new property, have your well driller and septic contractor talk during the planning phase.
WHAT YOUR WELL INSTALLATION WILL INCLUDE
A complete residential well installation in Chesterfield Township covers the full scope from borehole to working water at the tap:
Drilling to the depth required to reach a productive, clean water-bearing formation. In Chesterfield Township, this commonly ranges from 60 to 160 feet depending on local conditions.
Steel casing is installed through the borehole with a grouted annular seal in the upper section to prevent surface water infiltration.
A submersible pump, drop pipe, and electrical wiring lowered into the casing and connected to the surface via a pitless adapter below the frost line.
A pressure tank and pressure switch installed inside the home or an appropriate structure, sized to your household’s water demand.
The buried water supply line running from the well to your home’s plumbing system.
All of these components need to be properly sized and matched to each other. An undersized pump paired with an oversized pressure tank, or a pump set at the wrong depth for the well’s water level, creates performance problems that are avoidable when the system is designed correctly from the start.
IS A CONSTANT PRESSURE SYSTEM RIGHT FOR YOUR CHESTERFIELD HOME?
If your Chesterfield Township home has multiple bathrooms, a significant irrigation system, or high simultaneous water demand, a constant pressure well system is worth considering. Rather than a traditional pump that cycles on and off to maintain pressure within a fixed range, a constant pressure system uses a variable-speed drive to match pump output to real-time demand—delivering consistent pressure at every fixture, no matter how many are running simultaneously.
The technology is proven, the components are reliable, and the performance improvement over a traditional system in a high-demand household is genuinely noticeable. Ries Well Drilling installs Franklin Electric SubDrive constant pressure systems and can walk you through whether the upgrade makes sense for your specific situation.
SCHEDULE YOUR SITE ASSESSMENT
If you own a rural or semi-rural parcel in Chesterfield Township and need a private well — whether for a new build, a property purchase, or a replacement of an aging system — call Ries Well Drilling at 586-784-9516. They serve Chesterfield Township, Macomb Township, Clinton Township, Ray Township, and communities throughout Macomb, Oakland, Lapeer, and St. Clair Counties.