Well water in Sanilac County, Michigan
1in19
Testing recommended
tested well samples in Sanilac County exceeded the EPA limit for nitrate (10 mg/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.
The strongest signal is arsenic: 57% of 28 local samples were above the limit, too few samples to carry the headline but first on the test list below.
295 test results across 13 contaminants from at least 24 wells, 1975 to 2016; nitrate has the most at 37. Data refreshed September 15, 2026.
Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built
An estimated 22,332 people in Sanilac County get their drinking water from a private well, per USGS 2015 county water use. That is about 54% of residents.
Separately, the USGS national arsenic model estimates that 27% of the 22,332 people on private wells in Sanilac County draw water above 10 ug/L (the model's range is 22% to 32%), from geology and well depth rather than local tests.
What individual samples found
Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Sanilac 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenic 1975 to 2016 | 28 | 86% | 12.5 | 30.2 | 10 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Nitrate 1975 to 2016 | 37 | 16% | 0 | 14.8 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Fluoride 1975 to 2016 | 34 | 100% | 0.715 | 2 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Copper 1975 to 2016 | 14 | 43% | 0 | 0.02 | 1.3 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Lead 1975 to 2016 | 14 | 43% | 0 | 0.149 | 15 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Uranium 1982 to 2016 | 10 | 100% | 1.07 | 1.22 | 30 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Radium (226 + 228) 2007 to 2016 | 10 | 90% | 0.52 | 1.43 | 5 pCi/L EPA limit | |
| Manganese 1975 to 2016 | no limit | 35 | 97% | 33.7 | 240 | 300 ug/L health guideline |
| Iron 1975 to 2016 | no limit | 35 | 94% | 430 | 10,000 | 300 ug/L nuisance level |
| Sodium 1975 to 2016 | no limit | 34 | 100% | 60.1 | 330 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
| Chloride 1975 to 2016 | no limit | 34 | 100% | 63 | 500 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: E. coli (5), Radon (5).
Over time
Share of samples above the limit by period. A cell needs ten samples to show; a comparison needs twenty in each period. Later periods sample fewer wells, and often the ones already known to have a problem.
| Contaminant | before 2000 | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate | 11%19 samples | 0%10 samples | n/a | n/a |
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 arsenic (57% of 28 samples) and nitrate (5% of 37 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 Sanilac County
- 1Arsenic57% of 28 local samples were above the limit.
- 2Nitrate5% of 37 local samples were above the limit.
- 3Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 4RadonMedian local reading is 260 pCi/L.
- 5FluorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 6ChlorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 7ManganeseDetected in 97% of local samples.
- 8Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)52 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
- 9Metals panel38 hazardous waste sites on record locally.
Test your Sanilac County 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 $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 Sanilac County numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
Wells in Sanilac County
7,409 domestic wells in Sanilac County are on record with the state since 1918. 63% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 99 feet deep (one in ten goes past 190 feet).
In a typical Sanilac County well, bedrock starts about 55 feet down, the median yield is 15 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.
The rock under Sanilac County
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 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 Sanilac County
Michigan EGLE records 52 leaking underground storage tank sites and 38 hazardous waste sites in Sanilac County, among 282 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.
- 52
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 38
- hazardous waste sitesSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
- 191
- 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
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 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 Sanilac County
No water treatment company serves Sanilac 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 Sanilac County, and you get an email naming it first.
Common questions
How deep are wells in Sanilac County?
The typical domestic well in Sanilac County is 99 feet deep, based on 7,409 wells reported to the state since 1918. One in ten is deeper than 190 feet. 63% are drilled into bedrock.
Is there arsenic in well water in Sanilac County?
Arsenic was detected in 86% of 28 public well samples in Sanilac County, and 57% 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 Sanilac 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 Sanilac County
30 towns have fewer than 30 public samples and are included in the Sanilac County totals above rather than shown separately: Argyle township, Austin township, Bridgehampton township, Brown City, Buel township, Croswell, Custer township, Delaware township, Elk township, Elmer township, Evergreen township, Flynn township, Forester township, Fremont township, Greenleaf township, Lamotte township, Lexington township, Maple Valley township, Marion township, Marlette, Marlette township, Minden township, Moore township, Sandusky, Sanilac township, Speaker township, Washington township, Watertown township, Wheatland township, Worth township.
Counties near Sanilac 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: 295 samples in Sanilac 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 22,332 people on private wells in Sanilac 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: 7,409 well records in Sanilac County, 7,409 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: 282 regulated sites located in Sanilac 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.