Arsenic in Minnesota well water
In Minnesota, 12% of 71,831 private wells tested between 2008 and 2021 had arsenic above the EPA limit (10 ug/L), according to the Minnesota Department of Health.
Arsenic occurs naturally in New England bedrock and dissolves into well water. Long-term exposure raises the risk of bladder, lung and skin cancers, and is linked to heart disease and lower IQ in children. It has no taste or smell, so testing is the only way to know.
Check your arsenic number
Type the value from your lab report. It is compared to the EPA limit and the EPA limit, the same way the full interpretation does it.
Test your Minnesota well for arsenic
Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.
Order the Tap Score well water test kit, from $209Already tested? Upload the report
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Systems that remove arsenic
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Some links below are affiliate links. If you buy through one, the merchant pays us a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change which products we list or what the data says.
For arsenic
Under-sink reverse osmosis system
under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
For arsenic
Whole-house arsenic and uranium filter
whole-house, at the point of entry, about $2,500
Adsorptive iron-based media; sized to your well yield.
For arsenic
Aquasana SmartFlow reverse osmosis
under-sink or countertop, about $225
Certified to NSF/ANSI 58 and 53 to reduce arsenic (96%, pentavalent), fluoride (90%), lead (99%), nitrate, nitrite and PFOA/PFOS at the kitchen tap, with a remineralizer.
Rather have it installed and sized for your well? Book a free in-home water test with a licensed local company.
Where to get a well tested for arsenic in Minnesota: certified labs, state programs and prices.
By county, from homeowner tests
Share of private wells above the state guidance level (10 ug/L) in tests homeowners sent to the state lab, 2008 to 2021.
By county, from individual samples
Public monitoring samples against the EPA limit (10 ug/L); counties with at least 30 samples.
| County | Above EPA limit | Samples | Detected | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay | 125 | 86% | 14.6 | 73 ug/L | |
| McLeod | 82 | 93% | 11.9 | 102 ug/L | |
| Pope | 85 | 100% | 8.12 | 83.7 ug/L | |
| Meeker | 94 | 95% | 6.94 | 53.9 ug/L | |
| Sibley | 108 | 91% | 7.3 | 64.3 ug/L | |
| Douglas | 45 | 100% | 4.7 | 63.5 ug/L | |
| Kandiyohi | 101 | 92% | 4.44 | 49.9 ug/L | |
| Wright | 112 | 80% | 6.2 | 68.4 ug/L | |
| Becker | 123 | 89% | 4 | 65.1 ug/L | |
| Rice | 106 | 53% | 0.325 | 313 ug/L | |
| Brown | 101 | 85% | 2.45 | 61.5 ug/L | |
| Renville | 102 | 66% | 2.04 | 87 ug/L | |
| Carver | 84 | 93% | 4.15 | 58.3 ug/L | |
| Redwood | 145 | 70% | 0.58 | 61.4 ug/L | |
| Otter Tail | 279 | 73% | 1.1 | 101 ug/L |
- Lino Lakes, Anoka County38% of 52
- Waite Park, Stearns County25% of 108
- St. Wendel township, Stearns County14% of 64
- Oak Grove, Anoka County11% of 37
- St. Cloud, Stearns County10% of 556
- Coon Rapids, Anoka County9% of 33
- Brooklyn Center, Hennepin County8% of 91
- St. Louis Park, Hennepin County7% of 30
- Blaine, Anoka County6% of 31
- Perham township, Otter Tail County6% of 31
- East Bethel, Anoka County6% of 84
- Nowthen, Anoka County6% of 34
- Ramsey, Anoka County5% of 39
- Crystal, Hennepin County5% of 41
- Ham Lake, Anoka County5% of 65
- Northern township, Beltrami County3% of 32
- St. Joseph, Stearns County3% of 65
- Fall Lake township, Lake County3% of 33
- Empire, Dakota County3% of 35
- Eden Prairie, Hennepin County3% of 37
Sources
- MDH new private well arsenic tests: Arsenic results for every new private well drilled and tested August 2008 to December 2021, reported to the Minnesota Department of Health by well contractors and published by county. Mandatory test on new wells only, so older wells are not represented; 64,793 wells statewide. Shares are against 10 ug/L, which MDH applies as its advice level. Median and 95th percentile published per county. Retrieved September 15, 2026.
- Individual samples from the USGS Water Quality Portal and state monitoring, summarized per geography. arsenic counts and shares are listed on each county and town page with their sources.
Analysis: Arsenic in private wells, state by state, from the same public records.