Well water in Oceana County, Michigan
In Oceana County, 1% of 72 tested well samples exceeded the EPA limit for nitrate (10 mg/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.
158 test results across 11 contaminants from at least 9 wells, 1978 to 2014; nitrate has the most at 72. Data refreshed September 15, 2026.
Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built
An estimated 20,966 people in Oceana County get their drinking water from a private well, per USGS 2015 county water use. That is about 80% of residents.
Separately, the USGS national arsenic model estimates that 5% of the 20,966 people on private wells in Oceana County draw water above 10 ug/L (the model's range is 4% to 7%), from geology and well depth rather than local tests.
What individual samples found
Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Oceana 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate 1978 to 2014 | 72 | 54% | 0.05 | 20.8 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| E. coli 2013 to 2014 | 32 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 MPN/100mL EPA limit |
Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: Arsenic (8), Fluoride (8), Copper (2), Uranium (2), Lead (2), Iron (8), Sodium (8), Chloride (8), Manganese (8).
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 nitrate (1% of 72 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.
Iron, Chloride, 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 Oceana County
- 1Nitrate1% of 72 local samples were above the limit.
- 2Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 3IronDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 4ChlorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 5ManganeseDetected in 63% of local samples.
- 6Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)18 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
- 7Metals panel71 hazardous waste sites on record locally.
Test your Oceana County well for nitrate, coliform bacteria and iron
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 Oceana County numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
Wells in Oceana County
10,423 domestic wells in Oceana County are on record with the state since 1935. <1% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 68 feet deep (one in ten goes past 162 feet).
In a typical Oceana 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.
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 Oceana County
Marshall aquifer
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 county 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 Oceana County
Michigan EGLE records 18 leaking underground storage tank sites and 71 hazardous waste sites in Oceana County, among 187 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.
- 18
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 71
- hazardous waste sitesSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
- 98
- 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
Nitrate
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Distillation
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 nitrate
Under-sink reverse osmosis system
under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
For nitrate
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 Oceana County
No water treatment company serves Oceana 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 Oceana County, and you get an email naming it first.
Common questions
How deep are wells in Oceana County?
The typical domestic well in Oceana County is 68 feet deep, based on 10,423 wells reported to the state since 1935. One in ten is deeper than 162 feet. <1% are drilled into bedrock.
How often should I test a private well in Oceana 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 Oceana County
16 towns have fewer than 30 public samples and are included in the Oceana County totals above rather than shown separately: Benona township, Claybanks township, Colfax township, Crystal township, Elbridge township, Ferry township, Grant township, Greenwood township, Hart, Hart township, Leavitt township, Newfield township, Otto township, Pentwater township, Shelby township, Weare township.
Counties near Oceana 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: 158 samples in Oceana 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 20,966 people on private wells in Oceana 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: 10,423 well records in Oceana County, 10,423 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: 187 regulated sites located in Oceana 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.