Lead in Missouri well water
In Missouri, 3% of 15,041 private wells tested between 2010 and 2023 had lead above the EPA limit (15 ug/L), according to Missouri DHSS.
Lead in well water almost always comes from household plumbing and older fixtures, not the aquifer, and corrosive (low pH) well water makes it worse. There is no safe level for children; it harms brain development.
Check your lead 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 Missouri well for lead
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 lead
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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 lead
Under-sink reverse osmosis system
under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
For lead
Acid neutralizing filter
whole-house, at the point of entry, about $1,200
Raises pH so plumbing stops leaching lead and copper.
For lead
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 lead in Missouri: certified labs, state programs and prices.
By county, from homeowner tests
Share of private wells above the state guidance level (15 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 (15 ug/L); counties with at least 30 samples.
| County | Above EPA limit | Samples | Detected | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Francois | 113 | 86% | 1.05 | 2,000 ug/L | |
| Reynolds | 54 | 94% | 0.835 | 111 ug/L | |
| Boone | 866 | 11% | 0 | 80 ug/L | |
| Franklin | 48 | 25% | 0 | 20 ug/L | |
| Clay | 107 | 8% | 0 | 50 ug/L | |
| Pulaski | 479 | 39% | 0 | 100 ug/L | |
| Jasper | 68 | 91% | 0 | 5.66 ug/L | |
| Shannon | 34 | 38% | 0 | 4 ug/L | |
| St. Charles | 141 | 26% | 0 | 10 ug/L | |
| New Madrid | 31 | 23% | 0 | 0.209 ug/L | |
| Mississippi | 30 | 3% | 0 | 0 ug/L | |
| Jackson | 421 | 3% | 0 | 0.457 ug/L |
- Randolph township, St. Francois County62% of 42
- Carroll township, Reynolds County8% of 53
- Katy township, Boone County7% of 154
- Rock Bridge township, Boone County6% of 698
- Cullen township, Pulaski County3% of 74
- St. Francois township, St. Francois County2% of 61
- Chouteau township, Clay County<1% of 105
- Roubidoux township, Pulaski County<1% of 156
- Piney township, Pulaski County0% of 248
- Boone township, St. Charles County0% of 108
- New Haven township, Franklin County0% of 35
- Blue township, Jackson County0% of 421
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. lead counts and shares are listed on each county and town page with their sources.