Well water in Whiteside County, Illinois
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Testing recommended
tested well samples in Whiteside County exceeded the EPA limit for arsenic (10 ug/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.
518 test results across 9 contaminants from at least 39 wells, 1984 to 2013; nitrate has the most at 118. Data refreshed September 15, 2026.
Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built
An estimated 18,869 people in Whiteside County get their drinking water from a private well, per USGS 2015 county water use. That is about 33% of residents.
Separately, the USGS national arsenic model estimates that 10% of the 18,869 people on private wells in Whiteside County draw water above 10 ug/L (the model's range is 8% to 12%), from geology and well depth rather than local tests.
What individual samples found
Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Whiteside 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenic 1984 to 1992 | 50 | 52% | 1 | 20 | 10 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Nitrate 1984 to 2013 | 118 | 52% | 0.12 | 46.6 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Copper 1984 to 1992 | 50 | 16% | 0 | 0.28 | 1.3 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Fluoride 1984 to 1992 | 50 | 86% | 0.1 | 0.6 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Lead 1984 to 1992 | 50 | 6% | 0 | 0 | 15 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Iron 1984 to 1992 | no limit | 50 | 66% | 170 | 6,210 | 300 ug/L nuisance level |
| Chloride 1984 to 1992 | no limit | 50 | 94% | 10.5 | 58 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
| Sodium 1984 to 1992 | no limit | 50 | 98% | 6.5 | 55 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
| Manganese 1984 to 1992 | no limit | 50 | 86% | 100 | 800 | 300 ug/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 | 2%57 samples | 31%39 samples | 9%22 samples | n/a |
Nitrate above the limit in Whiteside County fell from 31% of 39 samples in the 2000s to 9% of 22 in the 2010s.
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 arsenic (14% of 50 samples) and nitrate (13% of 118 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.
Iron, 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 Whiteside County
- 1Arsenic14% of 50 local samples were above the limit.
- 2Nitrate13% of 118 local samples were above the limit.
- 3Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 4ChlorideDetected in 94% of local samples.
- 5FluorideDetected in 86% of local samples.
- 6ManganeseDetected in 86% of local samples.
- 7IronDetected in 66% of local samples.
Test your Whiteside County well for arsenic, 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 $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 Illinois: certified labs, state programs and prices.
Already have results back? Get your lab report read against the Whiteside County numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
The rock under Whiteside County
Silurian-Devonian aquifers
Carbonate-rock. Limestone and dolomite move water through cracks and solution channels, sometimes very fast. Bacteria and nitrate can travel from the surface to a well in days, so annual bacteria testing matters more here than most places; hardness is a given.
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 Illinois
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.
- Private Water & Closed Loop Wells, IDPH
- Accredited Labs, Illinois EPA
Treatment that fits the local profile
Arsenic
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Adsorptive media (iron-based) whole-house; Anion exchange
Nitrate
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Distillation
Manganese
Oxidizing filter (greensand, birm) whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Point-of-use reverse osmosis
Iron
Oxidizing filter whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Aeration plus filtration
Systems we would look at first
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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 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.
Free, no obligation
Get on the list for a free in-home water test in Whiteside County
No water treatment company serves Whiteside 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 Whiteside County, and you get an email naming it first.
Common questions
Is there arsenic in well water in Whiteside County?
Arsenic was detected in 52% of 50 public well samples in Whiteside County, and 14% 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 Whiteside 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 Whiteside 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 Illinois dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 518 samples in Whiteside 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 18,869 people on private wells in Whiteside 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.