Well Water Nerd

Well water testing in Indiana

Nobody tests a private well unless the owner does. In Indiana, the public record says to start with arsenic, nitrate, PFOS, then bacteria every year. Below: what to order, where, what it costs, and the county-by-county results that set the order.

What to test for first

  1. 1
    Arsenic
    15% of 1,498 local samples were above the limit.
  2. 2
    Nitrate
    8% of 6,062 local samples were above the limit.
  3. 3
    PFOS
    6% of 32 local samples were above the limit.
  4. 4
    PFOA
    3% of 32 local samples were above the limit.
  5. 5
    E. coli
    3% of 35 local samples were above the limit.

Test your Indiana well for arsenic, nitrate and PFOS

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

Just want bacteria checked first? Tap Score coliform and E. coli test, $99. Coliform and E. coli are the tests every well needs every year.

Want a quick look before paying for a lab? Home well water test strips on Amazon check hardness, iron, pH and nitrate in minutes. They are a screen, not a result: arsenic, bacteria, uranium and PFAS need a certified lab.

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. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Where to get it tested

Three routes, and all of them work. A mail-in kit from a certified lab is the simplest: the lab ships bottles, you fill them at the kitchen tap, and results come back by email. The full panel above is $209.

A local certified lab is the second route. Laboratories from IDEM lists every lab certified for drinking water in Indiana. Call ahead: some take walk-in samples, some ship bottles.

Free or low-cost testing: IDEM's Groundwater Monitoring Network tests a limited number of randomly selected private residential wells free of charge each sampling season, for metals, nitrate, VOCs, pesticides and general chemistry, for owners who apply and have a well record on file. How to get it

For questions about your well, Well Water Quality and Testing at Indiana Department of Health is the official source.

Already have results? Get the lab report read line by line, $29.

Testing by county

The contaminant most often over its limit in each county's public record, highest share first. Open a county for the full test list and its towns.

CountyTest first forOver the limit
Sullivan CountyNitrate53%
Tippecanoe CountyNitrate30%
Knox CountyNitrate28%
Marion CountyArsenic28%
Lake CountyArsenic25%
LaGrange CountyNitrate24%
Wayne CountyNitrate22%
Kosciusko CountyNitrate21%
Montgomery CountyArsenic19%
LaPorte CountyNitrate19%
Jasper CountyArsenic18%
Noble CountyNitrate18%
Morgan CountyNitrate16%
Vigo CountyNitrate15%
Martin CountyArsenic13%
Hamilton CountyNitrate13%
St. Joseph CountyArsenic12%
Newton CountyNitrate12%
Randolph CountyNitrate12%
Bartholomew CountyNitrate11%
Porter CountyArsenic9%
Shelby CountyNitrate9%
Elkhart CountyArsenic9%
Clay CountyArsenic9%
Putnam CountyNitrate7%
Delaware CountyNitrate6%
Greene CountyFluoride6%
Hancock CountyNitrate5%
Posey CountyNitrate3%
Marshall CountyNitrate3%
Adams CountyNitrate2%
Hendricks CountyNitrate1%
Allen CountyNitrate0%
Fountain CountyFluoride0%
Henry CountyNitrate0%
Howard CountyNitrate0%
Madison CountyNitrate0%

Closer than the county: see the sampled wells near your address.

Free, no obligation

Get on the list for a free in-home water test in Indiana

We are signing licensed water treatment companies county by county. They test at your tap for free, walk you through the numbers, and quote treatment only if something needs fixing. Nothing is shared until a company joins for your area, and you get an email naming it first.

What are you worried about?

The test is free and there is no obligation. No company is named yet; your details stay with us until one joins for your area, and we log the time and address of this request.

Common questions

What should I test my well for in Indiana?

Start with arsenic, nitrate, PFOS. 15% of 1,498 local samples were above the limit. Add total coliform bacteria and nitrate every year for any private well.

Where can I get my well water tested in Indiana?

Use a lab certified for drinking water. IDEM keeps the list of certified labs. A mail-in kit from a certified lab works anywhere in the state.

How much does well water testing cost in Indiana?

A full mail-in panel from a certified lab costs $209 (Tap Score well water test kit). A bacteria-only test costs $99 (Tap Score coliform and E. coli test).

Is there free well water testing in Indiana?

IDEM's Groundwater Monitoring Network tests a limited number of randomly selected private residential wells free of charge each sampling season, for metals, nitrate, VOCs, pesticides and general chemistry, for owners who apply and have a well record on file.

How often should a private well be tested?

Bacteria and nitrate every year. A full panel once, then again after flooding, a change in taste, smell or color, work on the well, a new baby in the house, or a nearby result above the limit. Contaminants that come from the rock, like arsenic, radon and uranium, change slowly, so one good test and a check every few years is enough.