Well water in Nez Perce County, Idaho

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Testing strongly recommended

tested well samples in Nez Perce County exceeded the EPA limit for total coliform (0 MPN/100mL), based on public data from Idaho statewide ground water quality monitoring (IDWR EDMS) and USGS Water Quality Portal.

2,778 test results across 14 contaminants from at least 92 wells, 1962 to 2025; nitrate has the most at 423. Data refreshed September 15, 2026.

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

An estimated 1,942 people in Nez Perce County get their drinking water from a private well, per USGS 2015 county water use. That is about 5% of residents.

Separately, the USGS national arsenic model estimates that 6% of the 1,942 people on private wells in Nez Perce County draw water above 10 ug/L (the model's range is 4% to 7%), from geology and well depth rather than local tests.

What individual samples found

Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Nez Perce 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
Total coliform 2017 to 2023	35%	37	35%	0	106	0 MPN/100mL EPA limit
Nitrate 1962 to 2025	9%	423	84%	1	46.8	10 mg/L EPA limit
Fluoride 1962 to 2025	0%	300	92%	0.3	1.2	4 mg/L EPA limit
Arsenic 1990 to 2025	0%	273	54%	0.17	4.1	10 ug/L EPA limit
Copper 1990 to 2020	0%	189	40%	0	0.008	1.3 mg/L EPA limit
Lead 1990 to 2002	0%	120	24%	0	4	15 ug/L EPA limit
Nitrite 1991 to 2019	0%	100	3%	0	0.015	1 mg/L EPA limit
E. coli 1990 to 2008	0%	86	0%	0	0	0 MPN/100mL EPA limit
Uranium 2016 to 2025	0%	33	27%	0	4.6	30 ug/L EPA limit
Chloride 1962 to 2025	no limit	323	99%	2.3	97	250 mg/L nuisance level
Sodium 1962 to 2025	no limit	305	100%	16.3	200	20 mg/L health guideline
Manganese 1990 to 2025	no limit	288	52%	0.34	170	300 ug/L health guideline
Iron 1962 to 2025	no limit	286	46%	0	1,400	300 ug/L nuisance level
Radon 1991 to 1995	no limit	15	100%	330	980	2,000 pCi/L health guideline

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
Nitrate	11%172 samples	8%167 samples	10%63 samples	5%21 samples
Fluoride	0%107 samples	0%107 samples	0%63 samples	0%23 samples
Arsenic	0%108 samples	0%95 samples	0%50 samples	0%20 samples
Copper	0%108 samples	0%30 samples	0%49 samples	n/a
Lead	0%107 samples	0%13 samples	n/a	n/a
Nitrite	0%41 samples	0%45 samples	0%14 samples	n/a

Nitrate above the limit in Nez Perce County fell from 10% of 63 samples in the 2010s to 5% of 21 in the 2020s.

Fluoride, arsenic, copper, nitrite 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 address

What this means

The contaminants most often above their limit here are total coliform (35% of 37 samples) and nitrate (9% of 423 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 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 Nez Perce County

1
Total coliform
35% of 37 local samples were above the limit.
2
Nitrate
9% of 423 local samples were above the limit.
3
Coliform bacteria
Recommended for every private well, every year.
4
Radon
Median local reading is 330 pCi/L.
5
Chloride
Detected in 99% of local samples.
6
Fluoride
Detected in 92% of local samples.
7
Manganese
Detected in 52% of local samples.

Test your Nez Perce County well for total coliform, nitrate and coliform bacteria

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 Idaho: certified labs, state programs and prices.

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

The rock under Nez Perce County

Columbia Plateau basaltic-rock aquifers

Igneous and metamorphic-rock. Granite and similar crystalline rock hold water only in fractures. Wells are deep and yields modest, and the rock itself is the source of arsenic, radon and uranium, which is why those three head the test list in bedrock country.

Classification from the USGS Principal Aquifers of the United States (national map, 2003 edition, GIS release 2015), read at the county centroid. A single well can sit in a different unit, especially near a boundary.

Official help in Idaho

Two places to start that are not selling anything: the state program that answers private well questions, and its list of labs certified to run drinking water tests. A certified lab is the difference between a result you can act on and a number.

Wells, Idaho DEQ
Drinking Water Testing and Certification, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare

Treatment that fits the local profile

Total coliform

Inspect and repair the well cap and casing, then shock chlorinate and retest; UV disinfection whole-house; Chlorination system

Nitrate

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

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 total coliform

Aquasana Rhino Well Water with UV

whole-house, at the point of entry, about $2,871

Whole-house system built for wells: sediment pre-filter, KDF and carbon, and a UV lamp rated to kill 99.99% of bacteria and viruses. It does not remove arsenic, nitrate, uranium or radon.

For nitrate

Under-sink reverse osmosis system

under-sink or countertop, about $300

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

For nitrate

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.

Free, no obligation

Get on the list for a free in-home water test in Nez Perce County

No water treatment company serves Nez Perce County through Well Water Nerd yet. We are signing licensed companies on county by county: they test at your tap for free, walk you through the numbers, and quote treatment only if something needs fixing. Leave your details and you are first in line. Nothing is shared until a company joins for Nez Perce County, and you get an email naming it first.

Common questions

Is there arsenic in well water in Nez Perce County?

Arsenic was detected in 54% of 273 public well samples in Nez Perce County, and 0% 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 Nez Perce County?

The median radon level across 15 public samples in Nez Perce County was 330 pCi/L, with a high of 980 pCi/L. New Hampshire recommends treatment above 2,000 pCi/L.

How often should I test a private well in Nez Perce 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 Nez Perce 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 Idaho dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.

Sources

Idaho statewide ground water quality monitoring (IDWR EDMS): 1,516 samples in Nez Perce County. Ground water quality results from the Idaho Department of Water Resources statewide monitoring program and partner agencies (ISDA, IDEQ, INL), EDMS bulk download. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
USGS Water Quality Portal: 1,262 samples in Nez Perce 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.
USGS national arsenic model (Ayotte 2017): estimated share of 1,942 people on private wells in Nez Perce County above 10 ug/L of arsenic, from geology, well depth and land use. County estimates of domestic well users with arsenic above 10 ug/L from the USGS national logistic regression model (Ayotte, Medalie and Qi, 2017), with private well population from the USGS 2015 county water-use compilation (Dieter and others, 2018). Retrieved September 15, 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.