Well water in Alaska

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Testing recommended

tested well samples in Alaska exceeded the EPA limit for arsenic (10 ug/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.

33,174 test results across 13 contaminants from at least 6,856 wells, 1947 to 2025; arsenic has the most at 10,714. Data refreshed September 3, 2026.

Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built

What individual samples found

Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Alaska. Above limit means above the EPA maximum contaminant level; where EPA has no enforceable limit, the row shows a health guideline or nuisance level instead.

Contaminant	Above limit	Samples	Detected	Median	Highest	Limit
Arsenic 1969 to 2025	8%	10,714	19%	0	3,000	10 ug/L EPA limit
Lead 1968 to 2020	4%	509	42%	0	4,000	15 ug/L EPA limit
Fluoride 1947 to 2022	2%	2,861	91%	0.1	41.8	4 mg/L EPA limit
Nitrate 1947 to 2025	2%	6,617	81%	0.27	426	10 mg/L EPA limit
Copper 1956 to 1999	<1%	488	74%	0	1.6	1.3 mg/L EPA limit
Radium (226 + 228) 1999	0%	68	100%	0	0	5 pCi/L EPA limit
Uranium 1992 to 1999	0%	36	3%	0	0.38	30 ug/L EPA limit
Chloride 1947 to 2022	no limit	3,554	100%	4	24,000	250 mg/L nuisance level
Iron 1947 to 2011	no limit	3,215	98%	400	760,000	300 ug/L nuisance level
Sodium 1948 to 2011	no limit	2,797	100%	6.6	15,500	20 mg/L health guideline
Manganese 1947 to 2011	no limit	2,282	95%	70	84,000	300 ug/L health guideline
Radon 1999	no limit	32	100%	260	610	2,000 pCi/L health guideline

Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: E. coli (1).

Over time

Share of samples above the limit by period. A cell needs ten samples to show; a comparison needs twenty in each period. Later periods sample fewer wells, and often the ones already known to have a problem.

Contaminant	before 2000	2000s	2010s	2020s
Arsenic	34%1,100 samples	<1%1,493 samples	6%5,334 samples	6%2,787 samples
Nitrate	3%4,605 samples	<1%820 samples	1%777 samples	2%415 samples
Fluoride	<1%2,770 samples	0%19 samples	22%18 samples	96%54 samples
Lead	4%457 samples	n/a	0%40 samples	n/a

Fluoride above the limit in Alaska rose from <1% of 2770 samples before 2000 to 96% of 54 in the 2020s.

Arsenic, nitrate, lead have held within a few points between the two most recent periods with enough samples.

What this means

The contaminants most often above their limit here are arsenic (8% of 10,714 samples), lead (4% of 509 samples), and fluoride (2% of 2,861 samples). A well next door can differ sharply from yours because bedrock fractures, well depth and plumbing all matter, so these rates describe the area, not your tap.

Chloride, Iron, and Manganese are widespread in local groundwater. They are mainly a staining and taste problem, but high manganese also carries a health advisory for infants.

What to test for in Alaska

1
Arsenic
8% of 10,714 local samples were above the limit.
2
Lead
4% of 509 local samples were above the limit.
3
Fluoride
2% of 2,861 local samples were above the limit.
4
Nitrate
2% of 6,617 local samples were above the limit.
5
Copper
<1% of 488 local samples were above the limit.
6
Coliform bacteria
Recommended for every private well, every year.
7
Radon
Median local reading is 260 pCi/L.
8
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
2,601 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
9
Metals panel
6,147 hazardous waste sites on record locally.

Test your Alaska well for arsenic, lead and fluoride

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 $209 Already 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 a well tested in Alaska: certified labs, state programs and prices.

Already have results back? Get your lab report read against the Alaska numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.

Free, one email

Send me the Alaska report

The numbers above, which tests to order and where, and the treatment that fits the local profile, in one email.

Wells in Alaska

8,792 domestic wells in Alaska are on record with the state since 1970. 100% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 107 feet deep (one in ten goes past 240 feet).

In a typical Alaska well, bedrock starts about 48 feet down, the median yield is 15 gallons per minute, 5% of wells yield under 3 gallons per minute and usually need a storage tank.

Bedrock wells are where arsenic, uranium and radon come from: the water sits in fractures in granite and metamorphic rock and picks up whatever the rock carries. That is why testing for those three matters more here than in a dug or gravel well.

335

1970s

622

1980s

1990s

1,149

2000s

2,899

2010s

3,541

2020s

Find your own well's report

The state keeps the driller's report for most wells drilled since 1984. It tells you how deep your well is, where bedrock starts, and how much water it makes, which decides what treatment can work.

Open Alaska DNR WELTS and choose Water Well.
It lists depth, static water level, yield, depth to bedrock and the driller.

Alaska well logs are voluntary in most of the state, so many wells have none.

Contamination sources on record in Alaska

Alaska DEC contaminated sites records 2,601 leaking underground storage tank sites and 6,147 hazardous waste sites in Alaska, among 8,748 regulated sites in total. Groundwater does not follow property lines, so a well within a few hundred feet of one of these is worth testing for what that site could release.

2,601: leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
6,147: hazardous waste sitesSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.

Treatment that fits the local profile

Arsenic

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Adsorptive media (iron-based) whole-house; Anion exchange

Lead

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Certified lead-removal carbon filter; Neutralizing filter to raise pH and stop leaching

Fluoride

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Activated alumina; Distillation

Nitrate

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Distillation

Copper

Neutralizing filter to raise pH; Point-of-use reverse osmosis

Systems we would look at first

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 arsenic

Under-sink reverse osmosis system

under-sink or countertop, about $300

Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.

For arsenic

Whole-house arsenic and uranium filter

whole-house, at the point of entry, about $2,500

Adsorptive iron-based media; sized to your well yield.

For arsenic

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.

For lead

Aquasana Claryum 3-Stage under-sink filter

under-sink or countertop, about $175

Certified to NSF/ANSI 53 to reduce 99% of lead and 99.7% of PFOA and PFOS at the tap. Not a fix for arsenic, nitrate or bacteria.

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 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.

Common questions

How deep are wells in Alaska?

The typical domestic well in Alaska is 107 feet deep, based on 8,792 wells reported to the state since 1970. One in ten is deeper than 240 feet. 100% are drilled into bedrock.

Is there arsenic in well water in Alaska?

Arsenic was detected in 19% of 10,714 public well samples in Alaska, and 8% were above the EPA limit of 10 ug/L. Arsenic has no taste or smell; a lab test is the only way to know your level.

How high is radon in well water in Alaska?

The median radon level across 32 public samples in Alaska was 260 pCi/L, with a high of 610 pCi/L. New Hampshire recommends treatment above 2,000 pCi/L.

How often should I test a private well in Alaska?

Test for bacteria and nitrate every year. Test once for arsenic, uranium, radon, fluoride, manganese and PFAS, then again every three to five years or after any change in taste, color, or plumbing.

Counties in Alaska

17 counties have fewer than 30 public samples and are included in the Alaska totals above rather than shown separately: Aleutians East, Aleutians West, Dillingham, Haines, Hoonah-Angoon, Ketchikan Gateway, Kodiak Island, Kusilvak, Lake and Peninsula, Nome, Northwest Arctic, Petersburg, Prince of Wales-Hyder, Sitka, Skagway, Southeast Fairbanks, Wrangell.

Want the numbers themselves? Download the Alaska dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.

Sources

USGS Water Quality Portal: 33,174 samples in Alaska. Data from the Water Quality Portal, a service of USGS, EPA and USDA; groundwater samples collected by USGS and cooperators. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
Alaska DNR well log tracking system (WELTS): 40,462 well records in Alaska, 8,792 domestic. Well logs filed with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (WELTS). Only aggregates are shown; owner names and addresses are never stored. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
Alaska DEC contaminated sites: 8,748 regulated sites located in Alaska. Contaminated sites, including leaking tank sites, from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. Retrieved September 18, 2026.

Non-detects count as samples and are treated as zero when computing medians. Exactly at the limit counts as not above it. A sample belongs to the town containing the well's reported coordinates.