Well Water Nerd

Manganese in Idaho well water

In Idaho, manganese was detected in 44% of 7,608 tested private well samples.

Manganese stains fixtures and laundry above 50 ug/L. EPA's health advisory is 300 ug/L; infants are the most sensitive, and newer research links elevated manganese to neurological effects in children. It is one of the most common private well problems in New England.

Check your manganese number

Type the value from your lab report. It is compared to the EPA limit, the same way the full interpretation does it.

Getting it fixed

Book a free in-home water test with a licensed local company, or see the treatment guide for what removes manganese.

By county, from individual samples

Public monitoring samples against the EPA limit; counties with at least 30 samples.

CountySamplesDetectedAbove EPA limitMedianHighest
Camas5891%no limit269800 ug/L
Owyhee16683%no limit726,090 ug/L
Valley12082%no limit391,000 ug/L
Franklin5881%no limit51.7256 ug/L
Washington12678%no limit206935 ug/L
Benewah18077%no limit7.051,410 ug/L
Shoshone4475%no limit3.3150 ug/L
Latah22971%no limit151,500 ug/L
Boundary11469%no limit2.1220 ug/L
Boise9767%no limit2.1365 ug/L
Bonner34966%no limit3.94,200 ug/L
Kootenai18663%no limit1.6620 ug/L
Bear Lake9162%no limit3.31,700 ug/L
Idaho16758%no limit1.3150 ug/L
Payette21156%no limit1.13,300 ug/L

Sources

  • Individual samples from the USGS Water Quality Portal and state monitoring, summarized per geography. manganese counts and shares are listed on each county and town page with their sources.