Well water in Crawford County, Kansas
In Crawford County, 5% of 147 tested well samples exceeded the EPA limit for nitrate (10 mg/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.
913 test results across 13 contaminants from at least 57 wells, 1913 to 2016; chloride has the most at 157. 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 Crawford 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate 1941 to 2016 | 147 | 78% | 0.248 | 140 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Fluoride 1941 to 2016 | 150 | 99% | 0.8 | 3.2 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Arsenic 1977 to 2016 | 30 | 30% | 0 | 10 | 10 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Copper 1977 to 2016 | 24 | 33% | 0 | 0.02 | 1.3 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Lead 1977 to 2016 | 23 | 57% | 0 | 0.2 | 15 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Uranium 1994 to 2016 | 16 | 94% | 0.04 | 0.43 | 30 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Chloride 1913 to 2016 | no limit | 157 | 100% | 130 | 4,300 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
| Sodium 1913 to 2016 | no limit | 155 | 100% | 124 | 2,800 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
| Iron 1913 to 2016 | no limit | 143 | 98% | 180 | 20,000 | 300 ug/L nuisance level |
| Manganese 1942 to 2016 | no limit | 59 | 78% | 10 | 471 | 300 ug/L health guideline |
Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: Radium (226 + 228) (6), E. coli (1), Radon (2).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fluoride | 0%131 samples | 0%18 samples | n/a | n/a |
| Nitrate | 6%117 samples | 0%28 samples | n/a | n/a |
| Arsenic | 0%15 samples | 0%14 samples | n/a | n/a |
Nitrate above the limit in Crawford County fell from 6% of 117 samples before 2000 to 0% of 28 in the 2000s.
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 nitrate (5% of 147 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 Crawford County
- 1Nitrate5% of 147 local samples were above the limit.
- 2Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 3RadonMedian local reading is 63.5 pCi/L.
- 4ChlorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 5FluorideDetected in 99% of local samples.
- 6IronDetected in 98% of local samples.
- 7ManganeseDetected in 78% of local samples.
- 8Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)160 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
Test your Crawford County well for nitrate, coliform bacteria and radon
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.
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Where to get a well tested in Kansas: certified labs, state programs and prices.
Already have results back? Get your lab report read against the Crawford County numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
The rock under Crawford County
Not a principal aquifer
The USGS map places this area outside any principal aquifer, which usually means wells here draw from fractured bedrock or thin local deposits rather than a large regional aquifer. Bedrock wells of that kind are where arsenic, radon and uranium turn up, and yields vary from well to well.
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.
Contamination sources on record in Crawford County
KDHE records 160 leaking underground storage tank sites in Crawford County, among 240 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.
- 160
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 52
- other remediation projects
- 28
- other solid waste facilities
Treatment that fits the local profile
Nitrate
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Distillation
Chloride
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Distillation
Iron
Oxidizing filter whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Aeration plus filtration
Manganese
Oxidizing filter (greensand, birm) whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Point-of-use reverse osmosis
Systems we would look at first
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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.
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 Crawford County
No water treatment company serves Crawford 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 Crawford County, and you get an email naming it first.
Common questions
Is there arsenic in well water in Crawford County?
Arsenic was detected in 30% of 30 public well samples in Crawford 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 often should I test a private well in Crawford 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 Crawford 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 Kansas dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 913 samples in Crawford 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.
- KDHE regulated sites: 240 regulated sites located in Crawford County. Identified contaminated sites, leaking underground storage tank facilities and solid waste facilities from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Retrieved September 9, 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.