Iron in well water
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private wells tested in Perquimans County, North Carolina had iron above the limit, the highest share of any county, according to NCWELL private well summaries.
Iron is a nuisance rather than a health hazard: rust stains, metallic taste, and clogged fixtures above 300 ug/L. It often occurs with manganese and can feed iron bacteria that foul plumbing.
- Nuisance level
- 300 ug/L
- North Carolina level
- 300 ug/L
- CAS number
- 7439-89-6
Check your iron number
Type the value from your lab report. It is compared to the EPA limit, the same way the full interpretation does it.
Test your own well for iron
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 iron
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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 iron
Iron and manganese oxidizing filter
whole-house, at the point of entry, about $1,800
Air-injection or greensand media; fixes staining at the source.
Rather have it installed and sized for your well? Book a free in-home water test with a licensed local company.
Where iron is worst, by homeowner tests
Counties ranked by the share of private wells above the state guidance level in tests homeowners sent to the state lab. Shares combine town summaries, weighted by wells tested.
| County | Above state level | Wells tested | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perquimans County, North Carolina | 47 | 25,000 ug/L | |
| Monmouth County, New Jersey | 7,582 | ||
| Brunswick County, North Carolina | 576 | 15,000 ug/L | |
| Wayne County, North Carolina | 345 | 62,000 ug/L | |
| Currituck County, North Carolina | 1,031 | 80,000 ug/L | |
| Camden County, North Carolina | 83 | 16,000 ug/L | |
| Carteret County, North Carolina | 604 | 8,300 ug/L | |
| Onslow County, North Carolina | 157 | 16,000 ug/L | |
| Chowan County, North Carolina | 44 | 20,000 ug/L | |
| Craven County, North Carolina | 146 | 8,300 ug/L | |
| Pender County, North Carolina | 1,299 | 19,000 ug/L | |
| Price County, Wisconsin | 33 | 15,370 ug/L | |
| Robeson County, North Carolina | 117 | 7,500 ug/L | |
| Cumberland County, North Carolina | 1,425 | 36,000 ug/L | |
| Greene County, North Carolina | 41 | 18,000 ug/L |
By individual samples
Counties with at least 30 individual samples in public monitoring data, against the EPA limit.
| County | Above EPA limit | Samples | Detected | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robeson County, North Carolina | no limit | 46 | 100% | 530 ug/L |
| Hertford County, North Carolina | no limit | 35 | 100% | 260 ug/L |
| Edgecombe County, North Carolina | no limit | 65 | 100% | 336 ug/L |
| Dare County, North Carolina | no limit | 63 | 100% | 370 ug/L |
| Kenosha County, Wisconsin | no limit | 54 | 100% | 400 ug/L |
| Camden County, North Carolina | no limit | 79 | 100% | 865 ug/L |
| Lincoln County, Louisiana | no limit | 135 | 100% | 200 ug/L |
| Milwaukee County, Wisconsin | no limit | 164 | 100% | 520 ug/L |
| Door County, Wisconsin | no limit | 54 | 100% | 100 ug/L |
| Titus County, Texas | no limit | 35 | 100% | 110 ug/L |
| Buffalo County, Wisconsin | no limit | 34 | 100% | 965 ug/L |
| Dunn County, Wisconsin | no limit | 57 | 100% | 460 ug/L |
| Kewaunee County, Wisconsin | no limit | 36 | 100% | 320 ug/L |
| Jackson County, Wisconsin | no limit | 34 | 100% | 315 ug/L |
| Tyrrell County, North Carolina | no limit | 35 | 100% | 360 ug/L |
How to test
Use a state-certified lab and a proper sampling bottle; hardware-store strips cannot measure iron at the levels that matter. Collect from the kitchen tap before any treatment, and again after treatment if you install it.
How to treat
- Oxidizing filter whole-house
- Water softener (low levels)
- Aeration plus filtration