Well water in Grand Traverse County, Michigan

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Testing recommended

tested well samples in Grand Traverse County exceeded the EPA limit for lead (15 ug/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.

703 test results across 10 contaminants from at least 211 wells, 1976 to 1991; nitrate has the most at 430. Data refreshed September 15, 2026.

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

An estimated 50,173 people in Grand Traverse County get their drinking water from a private well, per USGS 2015 county water use. That is about 55% of residents.

Separately, the USGS national arsenic model estimates that 7% of the 50,173 people on private wells in Grand Traverse County draw water above 10 ug/L (the model's range is 5% to 11%), from geology and well depth rather than local tests.

What individual samples found

Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Grand Traverse 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 1976 to 1987	18%	39	28%	0	100	15 ug/L EPA limit
Arsenic 1977 to 1987	3%	38	16%	0	14	10 ug/L EPA limit
Nitrate 1977 to 1987	<1%	430	57%	0.365	12	10 mg/L EPA limit
Fluoride 1977 to 1987	0%	38	39%	0	0.7	4 mg/L EPA limit
Copper 1976 to 1987	0%	38	29%	0	0.04	1.3 mg/L EPA limit
Manganese 1976 to 1987	no limit	39	85%	20	220	300 ug/L health guideline
Iron 1976 to 1987	no limit	39	95%	140	8,300	300 ug/L nuisance level
Sodium 1977 to 1987	no limit	38	100%	2	24	20 mg/L health guideline

Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: Uranium (3), Radon (1).

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.

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What this means

The contaminants most often above their limit here are lead (18% of 39 samples), arsenic (3% of 38 samples), and nitrate (<1% of 430 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 and Iron 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 Grand Traverse County

1
Lead
18% of 39 local samples were above the limit.
2
Arsenic
3% of 38 local samples were above the limit.
3
Nitrate
<1% of 430 local samples were above the limit.
4
Coliform bacteria
Recommended for every private well, every year.
5
Radon
Median local reading is 67 pCi/L.
6
Iron
Detected in 95% of local samples.
7
Manganese
Detected in 85% of local samples.
8
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
51 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
9
Metals panel
305 hazardous waste sites on record locally.

Test your Grand Traverse County well for lead, arsenic and nitrate

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 Michigan: certified labs, state programs and prices.

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

Wells in Grand Traverse County

22,273 domestic wells in Grand Traverse County are on record with the state since 1926. <1% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 106 feet deep (one in ten goes past 222 feet).

In a typical Grand Traverse County well, the median yield is 20 gallons per minute, <1% of wells yield under 3 gallons per minute and usually need a storage tank.

159

1960s

3,627

1970s

3,985

1980s

5,524

1990s

4,478

2000s

2,441

2010s

1,899

2020s

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 Grand Traverse County

Michigan EGLE records 51 leaking underground storage tank sites and 305 hazardous waste sites in Grand Traverse County, among 736 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.

51: leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
305: hazardous waste sitesSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
380: registered underground storage tank sitesRegistered tanks are regulated and inspected; they matter most when they are old or near a shallow well.

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

Nitrate

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; 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

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 Grand Traverse County

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

Common questions

How deep are wells in Grand Traverse County?

The typical domestic well in Grand Traverse County is 106 feet deep, based on 22,273 wells reported to the state since 1926. One in ten is deeper than 222 feet. <1% are drilled into bedrock.

Is there arsenic in well water in Grand Traverse County?

Arsenic was detected in 16% of 38 public well samples in Grand Traverse 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 Grand Traverse 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 Grand Traverse County

7 towns have fewer than 30 public samples and are included in the Grand Traverse County totals above rather than shown separately: Blair township, Fife Lake township, Grant township, Green Lake township, Long Lake township, Traverse City, Union township.

Counties near Grand Traverse 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: 703 samples in Grand Traverse 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 50,173 people on private wells in Grand Traverse 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: 22,273 well records in Grand Traverse County, 22,273 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: 736 regulated sites located in Grand Traverse 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.