Iron in Missouri well water
In Missouri, 12% of 10,561 private wells tested between 2010 and 2023 had iron above the EPA secondary standard (300 ug/L), according to Missouri DHSS.
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.
Check your iron number
Type the value from your lab report. It is compared to the EPA secondary standard and the EPA limit, the same way the full interpretation does it.
Test your Missouri 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 to get a well tested for iron in Missouri: certified labs, state programs and prices.
By county, from homeowner tests
Share of private wells above the state guidance level (300 ug/L) in tests homeowners sent to the state lab, 2010 to 2023.
By county, from individual samples
Public monitoring samples against the EPA limit; counties with at least 30 samples.
| County | Above EPA limit | Samples | Detected | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott | no limit | 55 | 100% | 190 | 24,000 ug/L |
| Chariton | no limit | 33 | 100% | 2,000 | 10,000 ug/L |
| Macon | no limit | 85 | 100% | 5,100 | 180,000 ug/L |
| Henry | no limit | 37 | 100% | 1,500 | 490,000 ug/L |
| Johnson | no limit | 52 | 100% | 245 | 6,400 ug/L |
| Grundy | no limit | 39 | 100% | 4,800 | 28,000 ug/L |
| Carroll | no limit | 45 | 100% | 2,000 | 76,000 ug/L |
| St. Louis | no limit | 109 | 100% | 160 | 100,000 ug/L |
| Phelps | no limit | 44 | 100% | 310 | 39,000 ug/L |
| Platte | no limit | 30 | 100% | 2,150 | 30,000 ug/L |
| Saline | no limit | 63 | 100% | 300 | 6,400 ug/L |
| Jefferson | no limit | 157 | 99% | 150 | 34,000 ug/L |
| Clay | no limit | 143 | 99% | 11,800 | 32,000 ug/L |
| Jackson | no limit | 529 | 98% | 5,570 | 93,000 ug/L |
| Pemiscot | no limit | 65 | 98% | 600 | 22,300 ug/L |
- Cape Girardeau township, Cape Girardeau County100% detected of 37
- Narrows township, Macon County100% detected of 44
- Chariton township, Macon County100% detected of 32
- Como township, New Madrid County100% detected of 33
- Chouteau township, Clay County99% detected of 106
- Blue township, Jackson County98% detected of 449
- Randolph township, St. Francois County95% detected of 44
- Rock Bridge township, Boone County95% detected of 1,191
- Boone township, St. Charles County90% detected of 119
- St. Francois township, St. Francois County88% detected of 68
- Katy township, Boone County88% detected of 200
- New Haven township, Franklin County86% detected of 35
- Carroll township, Reynolds County84% detected of 57
- Joplin township, Jasper County81% detected of 31
- Cullen township, Pulaski County45% detected of 85
- Roubidoux township, Pulaski County29% detected of 156
- Piney township, Pulaski County17% detected of 248
Sources
- Missouri DHSS private well sampling summaries: County summaries of private well samples analyzed by the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory, 2010 to 2023, published by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Counts are samples, not distinct wells. Shares are against the EPA maximum contaminant level, or the EPA secondary standard for chloride and iron. Counties with fewer than 20 samples are flagged unreliable by DHSS and are kept here with their counts so the threshold rule can judge them. Barium, sulfate and zinc layers exist but have no contaminant page yet. Retrieved September 15, 2026.
- Individual samples from the USGS Water Quality Portal and state monitoring, summarized per geography. iron counts and shares are listed on each county and town page with their sources.