Well water in Harvey County, Kansas

1in4

Testing strongly recommended

tested well samples in Harvey County exceeded the EPA limit for arsenic (10 ug/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal and Kansas Geological Survey groundwater quality samples.

31,227 test results across 13 contaminants from at least 435 wells, 1937 to 2016; nitrate has the most at 5,895. Data refreshed September 15, 2026.

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

These are KGS and groundwater management district sampling wells, not a survey of homeowners' wells.

An estimated 4,442 people in Harvey County get their drinking water from a private well, per USGS 2015 county water use. That is about 13% of residents.

Separately, the USGS national arsenic model estimates that 2% of the 4,442 people on private wells in Harvey County draw water above 10 ug/L (the model's range is 2% to 3%), from geology and well depth rather than local tests.

What individual samples found

Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Harvey 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 1977 to 2016	28%	2,413	87%	6	59.1	10 ug/L EPA limit
Nitrate 1937 to 2016	6%	5,895	53%	0.02	470	10 mg/L EPA limit
E. coli 2002 to 2016	<1%	1,521	<1%	0	29	0 MPN/100mL EPA limit
Fluoride 1937 to 2016	0%	2,768	99%	0.34	1.6	4 mg/L EPA limit
Copper 1977 to 2016	0%	1,262	6%	0	0.044	1.3 mg/L EPA limit
Lead 1977 to 2016	0%	1,256	11%	0	2	15 ug/L EPA limit
Uranium 2002 to 2015	0%	30	97%	0.309	5.7	30 ug/L EPA limit
Chloride 1937 to 2016	no limit	5,713	97%	50	7,600	250 mg/L nuisance level
Iron 1937 to 2016	no limit	3,704	76%	440	80,000	300 ug/L nuisance level
Manganese 1938 to 2016	no limit	3,451	93%	290	4,320	300 ug/L health guideline
Sodium 1937 to 2016	no limit	3,209	100%	56.2	40,000	20 mg/L health guideline

Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: Radium (226 + 228) (4), Radon (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
Nitrate	6%1,335 samples	5%3,132 samples	7%1,428 samples	n/a
Fluoride	0%505 samples	0%1,549 samples	0%714 samples	n/a
Arsenic	38%158 samples	27%1,541 samples	29%714 samples	n/a
E. coli	n/a	5%196 samples	<1%1,325 samples	n/a
Copper	0%158 samples	0%615 samples	0%489 samples	n/a
Lead	0%153 samples	0%612 samples	0%491 samples	n/a

Nitrate, fluoride, arsenic, E. coli, copper, lead 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 arsenic (28% of 2,413 samples), nitrate (6% of 5,895 samples), and e. coli (<1% of 1,521 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 Harvey County

1
Arsenic
28% of 2,413 local samples were above the limit.
2
Nitrate
6% of 5,895 local samples were above the limit.
3
E. coli
<1% of 1,521 local samples were above the limit.
4
Radon
Median local reading is 50 pCi/L.
5
Fluoride
Detected in 99% of local samples.
6
Chloride
Detected in 97% of local samples.
7
Manganese
Detected in 93% of local samples.
8
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
143 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
9
Metals panel
1 hazardous waste site on record locally.

Test your Harvey County well for arsenic, nitrate and E. coli

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 Kansas: certified labs, state programs and prices.

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

The rock under Harvey County

High Plains aquifer

Unconsolidated sand and gravel. Wells in sand and gravel are usually shallow and productive, and they recharge quickly from the surface. That makes them the most exposed to nitrate, bacteria and anything spilled nearby, and the least likely to carry arsenic or radon from the rock.

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 Harvey County

KDHE records 143 leaking underground storage tank sites and 1 hazardous waste site in Harvey County, among 200 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.

143: leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
1: hazardous waste siteSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
41: other remediation projects
15: other solid waste facilities

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

E. coli

Shock chlorination and fix the well cap or casing; UV disinfection whole-house; Chlorination system

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

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 E. coli

UV disinfection system

whole-house, at the point of entry, about $900

Fix the well cap and casing first; UV keeps bacteria from returning.

For E. coli

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 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 Harvey County

No water treatment company serves Harvey 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 Harvey County, and you get an email naming it first.

Common questions

Is there arsenic in well water in Harvey County?

Arsenic was detected in 87% of 2,413 public well samples in Harvey County, and 28% 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 Harvey 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 Harvey 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: 30,864 samples in Harvey 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.
Kansas Geological Survey groundwater quality samples: 363 samples in Harvey County. Groundwater quality samples from the Kansas Geological Survey and Groundwater Management District 2, joined to WWC5 well records. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
USGS national arsenic model (Ayotte 2017): estimated share of 4,442 people on private wells in Harvey 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.
KDHE regulated sites: 200 regulated sites located in Harvey 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.