Well water in Sands township, Michigan
In Sands township, none of 62 tested well samples exceeded the EPA limit for nitrate, based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.
The strongest signal is coliform bacteria: Recommended for every private well, every year, too few samples to carry the headline but first on the test list below.
282 test results across 10 contaminants from at least 25 wells, 1980 to 1981; nitrate has the most at 62. 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 Sands township. 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 1980 to 1981 | 62 | 100% | 0.115 | 5.3 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Fluoride 1980 to 1981 | 33 | 52% | 0 | 0.1 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Copper 1980 to 1981 | 15 | 100% | 0 | 0.02 | 1.3 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Lead 1980 to 1981 | 15 | 93% | 0 | 0 | 15 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Arsenic 1980 to 1981 | 15 | 100% | 1 | 2 | 10 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Uranium 1980 to 1981 | 11 | 100% | 0.11 | 0.48 | 30 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Chloride 1980 to 1981 | no limit | 33 | 100% | 0.5 | 14 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
| Manganese 1980 to 1981 | no limit | 33 | 94% | 10 | 2,200 | 300 ug/L health guideline |
| Iron 1980 to 1981 | no limit | 33 | 100% | 110 | 84,000 | 300 ug/L nuisance level |
| Sodium 1980 to 1981 | no limit | 32 | 100% | 1.2 | 21 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
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 addressWhat this means
Among contaminants with a federal limit, no tested sample in Sands township came back above it. That is reassuring, but sampling is uneven: wells that were never tested are not in this data.
Chloride, 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 Sands township
- 1Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 2NitrateRecommended for every private well, especially near farms or septic systems.
- 3CopperDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 4ChlorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 5IronDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 6ManganeseDetected in 94% of local samples.
- 7FluorideDetected in 52% of local samples.
- 8Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)2 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
- 9Metals panel3 hazardous waste sites on record locally.
Test your Sands township well for coliform bacteria, nitrate and copper
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 Sands township numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
Wells in Sands township
755 domestic wells in Sands township are on record with the state since 1969. 7% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 140 feet deep (one in ten goes past 233 feet).
In a typical Sands township well, bedrock starts about 50 feet down, the median yield is 12 gallons per minute, 2% of wells yield under 3 gallons per minute and usually need a storage tank.
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 Sands township
Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system
Sandstone. Sandstone wells draw from pore space in the rock and tend to be dependable. Iron, manganese and hardness are common, and some sandstones carry arsenic or radium, so a first test should include both.
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 Sands township
Michigan EGLE records 2 leaking underground storage tank sites and 3 hazardous waste sites in Sands township, among 15 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.
- 2
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 3
- hazardous waste sitesSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
- 9
- 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
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 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 Sands township
No water treatment company serves Sands township 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 Sands township, and you get an email naming it first.
Common questions
How deep are wells in Sands township?
The typical domestic well in Sands township is 140 feet deep, based on 755 wells reported to the state since 1969. One in ten is deeper than 233 feet. 7% are drilled into bedrock.
Is there arsenic in well water in Sands township?
Arsenic was detected in 100% of 15 public well samples in Sands township, 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 Sands township?
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: 282 samples in Sands township. 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: 755 well records in Sands township, 755 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: 15 regulated sites located in Sands township. 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.