Well water in Anchorage County, Alaska
1in12
Testing recommended
tested well samples in Anchorage County exceeded the EPA limit for lead (15 ug/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.
19,250 test results across 12 contaminants from at least 6,175 wells, 1949 to 2025; arsenic has the most at 9,790. Data refreshed September 3, 2026.
Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built
An estimated 37,029 people in Anchorage County get their drinking water from a private well, per USGS 2015 county water use. That is about 12% of residents.
What individual samples found
Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Anchorage County. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead 1971 to 1999 | 105 | 59% | 0 | 300 | 15 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Arsenic 1971 to 2025 | 9,790 | 13% | 0 | 192 | 10 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Nitrate 1949 to 2025 | 4,065 | 80% | 0.5 | 380 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Fluoride 1949 to 1999 | 930 | 92% | 0.1 | 13 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Copper 1959 to 1999 | 127 | 79% | 0 | 1.1 | 1.3 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Radium (226 + 228) 1999 | 16 | 100% | 0 | 0 | 5 pCi/L EPA limit | |
| Chloride 1949 to 1999 | no limit | 1,236 | 100% | 3.2 | 1,080 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
| Iron 1949 to 1999 | no limit | 1,069 | 97% | 120 | 760,000 | 300 ug/L nuisance level |
| Sodium 1952 to 1999 | no limit | 1,040 | 100% | 6.6 | 622 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
| Manganese 1950 to 1999 | no limit | 854 | 95% | 30 | 84,000 | 300 ug/L health guideline |
Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: Uranium (9), Radon (9).
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 | 44%228 samples | 0%1,485 samples | 5%5,294 samples | 6%2,783 samples |
| Nitrate | 2%2,149 samples | <1%750 samples | 1%751 samples | 2%415 samples |
Arsenic, nitrate have held within a few points between the two most recent periods with enough samples.
Closer than the county
See the sampled wells near your address
The same records, drawn around one point: which wells within a few miles were sampled and what they found, how deep the wells next to you were drilled, and any leaking tank or cleanup site within a mile.
Check my addressWhat this means
The contaminants most often above their limit here are lead (9% of 105 samples), arsenic (6% of 9,790 samples), and nitrate (1% of 4,065 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 Anchorage County
- 1Lead9% of 105 local samples were above the limit.
- 2Arsenic6% of 9,790 local samples were above the limit.
- 3Nitrate1% of 4,065 local samples were above the limit.
- 4Fluoride<1% of 930 local samples were above the limit.
- 5Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 6RadonMedian local reading is 320 pCi/L.
- 7ChlorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 8Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)1,051 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
- 9Metals panel783 hazardous waste sites on record locally.
Test your Anchorage County well for lead, arsenic and nitrate
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 a well tested in Alaska: certified labs, state programs and prices.
Already have results back? Get your lab report read against the Anchorage County numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
Wells in Anchorage County
817 domestic wells in Anchorage County are on record with the state since 1970. 100% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 155 feet deep (one in ten goes past 344 feet).
In a typical Anchorage County well, bedrock starts about 70 feet down, the median yield is 8 gallons per minute, 17% 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.
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 Anchorage County
Alaska DEC contaminated sites records 1,051 leaking underground storage tank sites and 783 hazardous waste sites in Anchorage County, among 1,834 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.
- 1,051
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 783
- hazardous waste sitesSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
Treatment that fits the local profile
Lead
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Certified lead-removal carbon filter; Neutralizing filter to raise pH and stop leaching
Arsenic
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Adsorptive media (iron-based) whole-house; Anion exchange
Nitrate
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Distillation
Fluoride
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Activated alumina; Distillation
Iron
Oxidizing filter whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Aeration plus filtration
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 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.
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 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.
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Common questions
How deep are wells in Anchorage County?
The typical domestic well in Anchorage County is 155 feet deep, based on 817 wells reported to the state since 1970. One in ten is deeper than 344 feet. 100% are drilled into bedrock.
Is there arsenic in well water in Anchorage County?
Arsenic was detected in 13% of 9,790 public well samples in Anchorage County, and 6% 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 often should I test a private well in Anchorage County?
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 near Anchorage County
Closest first. Groundwater does not stop at a line on a map, so the next county over is a fair second opinion.
Want the numbers themselves? Download the Alaska dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 19,250 samples in Anchorage County. 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): 9,009 well records in Anchorage County, 817 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: 1,834 regulated sites located in Anchorage County. 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.