Hi I am moving nr montbron after Xmas our new home has 2 wells, can you please tell me who I contact to see if these wells are suitable to use for our home or are they just used for garden and animals 

Thak you

You would probably need a 'puisatier'/forage/sondage des puits.  Look in your telephone directory Yellow Pages.  Sometimes your local Mairie can point you in the right direction for someone nearby.

You Just need to take a sample to your pharmacie and they will test it for you and tell you if it is drinkable or not.

I tried that with our local pharmacy and he said he was not allowed to do that any more (though he did a couple of years back for me) and gave me two addresses to which I could send the samples.

Not quite as simple as posted above.

You wouldn't believe the number of rules and regulations and laboratory-tested controls in most European countries and in particular in France, relating to water for human consumption.

The majority of wells, depending upon their underground source and the 'nappe phréatique', have a level of minerals, even pollution, which are dangerous with regard to 'drinking water' but I'm sure you know this and why everyone has to pay so much for 'town water'. Even for use inside the house, there would be a risk of over-mineralisation in your pipes and machines.

I live in the country and at the end of a town water supply system and every so often I get the local water supplier (Sogedo/Veolia) to come and purge the system when I see there has been road and canalisation works and dirt gets into the supply.

I feel sure that, after checking to see if your wells are mechanically/physically safe, together with a water analyis (maybe ask at your local drinking water supplier for the names of a qualified laboratory), there would be the possibility of using a pump to bring the water to the surface for the garden, etc..

Terrific if you can use it for garden water/irrigation/farm use which would be invaluable during the summer months but you should go to your local Mairie and ask if it is required to declare this.  I don't think so but it may depend upon the commune.

Beware of drought though as my commune was 'red'/crise for almost 2 months, ordered by the Préfecture and it was forbidden to draw water for anything other than - feeding farm animals/human consumption/special derogation for farmers.  No topping up pools, no watering gardens, no car washing, etc. etc. as the communal irrigation water (always controlled anyway) was drawn off our little river which was drying up and that applied even to private wells and the underground sources.

That information is usually posted publically at your local Mairie but I hope this helps to guide your understanding a little more.

Thank you so much for your info I am gathering it all together to make sure the correct dissition is made by myself

Thank you so much for your answer will take it on board