Well water in Bay County, Michigan
In Bay County, 3% of 31 tested well samples exceeded the EPA limit for arsenic (10 ug/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.
The strongest signal is lead: 23% of 26 local samples were above the limit, too few samples to carry the headline but first on the test list below.
308 test results across 10 contaminants from at least 30 wells, 1975 to 1988; nitrate has the most at 46. Data refreshed September 15, 2026.
Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built
An estimated 5,196 people in Bay 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 61% of the 5,196 people on private wells in Bay County draw water above 10 ug/L (the model's range is 51% to 72%), from geology and well depth rather than local tests.
What individual samples found
Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Bay 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 1975 to 1984 | 26 | 96% | 0 | 900 | 15 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Arsenic 1975 to 1988 | 31 | 81% | 2 | 11 | 10 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Nitrate 1975 to 1984 | 46 | 15% | 0 | 0.2 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Fluoride 1975 to 1988 | 31 | 90% | 0.3 | 0.8 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Copper 1975 to 1984 | 26 | 85% | 0.03 | 1 | 1.3 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Uranium 1978 to 1984 | 22 | 23% | 0 | 6.3 | 30 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Manganese 1975 to 1988 | no limit | 32 | 97% | 145 | 8,000 | 300 ug/L health guideline |
| Iron 1975 to 1988 | no limit | 32 | 100% | 1,500 | 310,000 | 300 ug/L nuisance level |
| Sodium 1975 to 1988 | no limit | 31 | 100% | 870 | 28,000 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
| Chloride 1975 to 1988 | no limit | 31 | 100% | 1,400 | 50,000 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
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 (23% of 26 samples) and arsenic (3% of 31 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.
Manganese, Iron, and Chloride 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 Bay County
- 1Lead23% of 26 local samples were above the limit.
- 2Arsenic3% of 31 local samples were above the limit.
- 3Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 4NitrateRecommended for every private well, especially near farms or septic systems.
- 5IronDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 6ChlorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 7ManganeseDetected in 97% of local samples.
- 8Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)108 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
- 9Metals panel278 hazardous waste sites on record locally.
Test your Bay County well for lead, arsenic 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 Michigan: certified labs, state programs and prices.
Already have results back? Get your lab report read against the Bay County numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
Wells in Bay County
5,192 domestic wells in Bay County are on record with the state since 1965. 73% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 132 feet deep (one in ten goes past 270 feet).
In a typical Bay County well, bedrock starts about 95 feet down, the median yield is 17 gallons per minute, 1% 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 Wellogic (EGLE) and choose Water Well.
- The record lists depth, casing, static water level, the pump test and the geologic log.
Michigan has required well records since 1966, so most drilled wells are on file.
Official help in Michigan
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 Residential Water Well Testing, Michigan EGLE
- Laboratory certification program, Michigan EGLE
Contamination sources on record in Bay County
Michigan EGLE records 108 leaking underground storage tank sites and 278 hazardous waste sites in Bay County, among 711 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.
- 108
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 278
- hazardous waste sitesSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
- 324
- registered underground storage tank sitesRegistered tanks are regulated and inspected; they matter most when they are old or near a shallow well.
- 1
- lined landfill or transfer facility
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
Iron
Oxidizing filter whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Aeration plus filtration
Chloride
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Distillation
Manganese
Oxidizing filter (greensand, birm) whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Point-of-use reverse osmosis
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 manganese
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 Bay County
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Common questions
How deep are wells in Bay County?
The typical domestic well in Bay County is 132 feet deep, based on 5,192 wells reported to the state since 1965. One in ten is deeper than 270 feet. 73% are drilled into bedrock.
Is there arsenic in well water in Bay County?
Arsenic was detected in 81% of 31 public well samples in Bay County, and 3% 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 Bay 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.
Towns in Bay County
19 towns have fewer than 30 public samples and are included in the Bay County totals above rather than shown separately: Auburn, Bangor charter township, Bay City, Beaver township, Essexville, Frankenlust township, Fraser township, Garfield township, Gibson township, Hampton charter township, Kawkawlin township, Merritt township, Midland, Monitor charter township, Mount Forest township, Pinconning, Pinconning township, Portsmouth charter township, Williams charter township.
Counties near Bay 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 Michigan dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 308 samples in Bay 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 5,196 people on private wells in Bay 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.
- Michigan Wellogic well records: 5,192 well records in Bay County, 5,192 domestic. Water well records from Wellogic, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy statewide well database. Only aggregates are shown; owner names and addresses are never stored. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
- Michigan EGLE regulated sites: 711 regulated sites located in Bay County. Part 201 environmental contamination sites, underground storage tank facilities and Part 115 landfills from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. Retrieved September 16, 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.