Well water in Kalamazoo, Michigan

In Kalamazoo, 1% of 73 tested well samples exceeded the EPA limit for nitrate (10 mg/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.

The strongest signal is arsenic: 8% of 13 local samples were above the limit, too few samples to carry the headline but first on the test list below.

339 test results across 13 contaminants from at least 16 wells, 1968 to 2023; nitrate has the most at 73. 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 Kalamazoo. 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 1971 to 2023	8%	13	85%	2.6	15	10 ug/L EPA limit
Nitrate 1968 to 2023	1%	73	86%	0.1	11	10 mg/L EPA limit
Fluoride 1968 to 2023	0%	41	100%	0.2	0.3	4 mg/L EPA limit
Lead 1971 to 2023	0%	14	57%	0	0.419	15 ug/L EPA limit
Copper 1971 to 2023	0%	12	67%	0	0.02	1.3 mg/L EPA limit
Chloride 1968 to 2023	no limit	62	100%	46.5	260	250 mg/L nuisance level
Sodium 1968 to 2023	no limit	41	100%	26.3	100	20 mg/L health guideline
Iron 1968 to 2023	no limit	41	93%	900	29,000	300 ug/L nuisance level
Manganese 1968 to 2023	no limit	36	100%	162	1,700	300 ug/L health guideline

Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: Radium (226 + 228) (2), Uranium (2), E. coli (1), Radon (1).

Closer than the town

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 (8% of 13 samples) and nitrate (1% of 73 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 Kalamazoo

1
Arsenic
8% of 13 local samples were above the limit.
2
Nitrate
1% of 73 local samples were above the limit.
3
Coliform bacteria
Recommended for every private well, every year.
4
Radon
Median local reading is 88 pCi/L.
5
Fluoride
Detected in 100% of local samples.
6
Chloride
Detected in 100% of local samples.
7
Manganese
Detected in 100% of local samples.
8
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
58 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
9
Metals panel
369 hazardous waste sites on record locally.

Test your Kalamazoo 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 $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 Kalamazoo numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.

Wells in Kalamazoo

24 domestic wells in Kalamazoo are on record with the state since 1968. 0% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 86 feet deep (one in ten goes past 108 feet).

In a typical Kalamazoo well, the median yield is 50 gallons per minute.

1980s

1990s

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.

The rock under Kalamazoo

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 town centroid. A single well can sit in a different unit, especially near a boundary.

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 Kalamazoo

Michigan EGLE records 58 leaking underground storage tank sites and 369 hazardous waste sites in Kalamazoo, among 690 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.

58: leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
369: hazardous waste sitesSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
263: 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

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

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 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 Kalamazoo

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

Common questions

How deep are wells in Kalamazoo?

The typical domestic well in Kalamazoo is 86 feet deep, based on 24 wells reported to the state since 1968. One in ten is deeper than 108 feet. 0% are drilled into bedrock.

Is there arsenic in well water in Kalamazoo?

Arsenic was detected in 85% of 13 public well samples in Kalamazoo, and 8% 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 Kalamazoo?

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.

Want the numbers themselves? Download the Michigan dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.

Sources

USGS Water Quality Portal: 339 samples in Kalamazoo. Data from the Water Quality Portal, a service of USGS, EPA and USDA; groundwater samples collected by USGS and cooperators. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
Michigan Wellogic well records: 24 well records in Kalamazoo, 24 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: 690 regulated sites located in Kalamazoo. 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.