Iron in Pennsylvania well water
In Pennsylvania, 17% of 7,683 private wells tested between 2007 and 2025 had iron above the EPA secondary standard (300 ug/L), according to the Penn State water testing lab.
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 Pennsylvania 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
Affiliate links: the merchant pays us a commission and the price is the same for you. It does not change what the data above says.
Systems that remove iron
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.
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 Pennsylvania: 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, 2008 to 2025.
| County | Above state level | Wells tested | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton | 30 | 5,100 ug/L | |
| Crawford | 65 | 11,900 ug/L | |
| Indiana | 42 | 7,900 ug/L | |
| Somerset | 37 | 18,400 ug/L | |
| Venango | 60 | 38,200 ug/L | |
| Mifflin | 110 | 17,300 ug/L | |
| Warren | 112 | 40,900 ug/L | |
| Erie | 61 | 5,100 ug/L | |
| McKean | 114 | 22,300 ug/L | |
| Clearfield | 56 | 93,800 ug/L | |
| Clinton | 89 | 38,500 ug/L | |
| Armstrong | 35 | 11,800 ug/L | |
| Mercer | 97 | 8,800 ug/L | |
| Huntingdon | 189 | 16,100 ug/L | |
| Snyder | 82 | 94,000 ug/L |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest | no limit | 35 | 100% | 6,600 | 12,000 ug/L |
| Columbia | no limit | 86 | 100% | 195 | 29,000 ug/L |
| Butler | no limit | 30 | 100% | 585 | 52,000 ug/L |
| Elk | no limit | 30 | 100% | 5,550 | 98,000 ug/L |
| Clarion | no limit | 1,250 | 100% | 140,000 | 3,200,000 ug/L |
| Clearfield | no limit | 504 | 99% | 56,500 | 500,000 ug/L |
| Philadelphia | no limit | 1,073 | 99% | 1,090 | 429,000 ug/L |
| Allegheny | no limit | 83 | 99% | 430 | 7,400 ug/L |
| Somerset | no limit | 73 | 99% | 700 | 31,200 ug/L |
| Greene | no limit | 65 | 98% | 410 | 55,000 ug/L |
| Lawrence | no limit | 60 | 98% | 1,500 | 8,500 ug/L |
| Mercer | no limit | 112 | 98% | 380 | 33,000 ug/L |
| Cambria | no limit | 50 | 98% | 94,400 | 117,500 ug/L |
| Westmoreland | no limit | 45 | 98% | 550 | 23,200 ug/L |
| Lehigh | no limit | 128 | 98% | 85 | 22,000 ug/L |
- Wiconisco township, Dauphin County100% detected of 66
- Bensalem township, Bucks County100% detected of 126
- North East township, Erie County100% detected of 34
- Jenks township, Forest County100% detected of 34
- Marshall township, Allegheny County100% detected of 47
- Piney township, Clarion County100% detected of 586
- Boggs township, Clearfield County100% detected of 436
- Monroe township, Clarion County99% detected of 519
- Philadelphia, Philadelphia County99% detected of 1,073
- New Milford township, Susquehanna County97% detected of 33
- Westfall township, Pike County95% detected of 39
- West Caln township, Chester County91% detected of 57
- Tioga township, Tioga County91% detected of 45
- Warminster township, Bucks County90% detected of 58
- Middlebury township, Tioga County87% detected of 31
- Charlestown township, Chester County86% detected of 49
- Schuylkill township, Chester County85% detected of 33
- Shippen township, Tioga County85% detected of 39
- Dingman township, Pike County82% detected of 51
- East Whiteland township, Chester County81% detected of 47
Sources
- Penn State Agricultural Analytical Services Lab drinking water summaries: County summaries of private water samples tested by the Penn State Agricultural Analytical Services Laboratory since 2007, published by the College of Agricultural Sciences. Counts are samples, not distinct wells. Shares are against the standard the lab prints: the EPA maximum contaminant level, or the secondary standard for iron, manganese and chloride. Lead is the first-draw result. Medians printed as 0.00 are stored as null because the lab rounds to two decimals. Retrieved September 16, 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.