Well water in Fall Lake township, Minnesota
In Fall Lake township, 3% of 33 tested well samples exceeded the EPA limit for arsenic (10 ug/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.
The strongest signal is copper: 6% of 17 local samples were above the limit, too few samples to carry the headline but first on the test list below.
353 test results across 9 contaminants from at least 36 wells, 1972 to 2025; sodium has the most at 49. 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 Fall Lake 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper 1976 to 1995 | 17 | 94% | 0 | 2.7 | 1.3 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Arsenic 1976 to 2024 | 33 | 79% | 0.534 | 10.4 | 10 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Fluoride 1972 to 2025 | 48 | 92% | 0.1 | 1.65 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Lead 1976 to 2024 | 39 | 54% | 0 | 0.557 | 15 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Nitrate 1972 to 1995 | 25 | 100% | 0.49 | 10 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Sodium 1972 to 2025 | no limit | 49 | 100% | 13 | 220 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
| Chloride 1972 to 2025 | no limit | 48 | 100% | 5.23 | 481 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
| Iron 1972 to 2025 | no limit | 48 | 71% | 105 | 49,000 | 300 ug/L nuisance level |
| Manganese 1972 to 2024 | no limit | 46 | 96% | 157 | 26,000 | 300 ug/L health guideline |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fluoride | 0%25 samples | n/a | n/a | 0%23 samples |
| Lead | 0%18 samples | n/a | n/a | 0%21 samples |
| Arsenic | 0%12 samples | n/a | n/a | 5%21 samples |
Fluoride has held within a few points between the two most recent periods with enough samples.
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
The contaminants most often above their limit here are copper (6% of 17 samples) and arsenic (3% of 33 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 Fall Lake township
- 1Copper6% of 17 local samples were above the limit.
- 2Arsenic3% of 33 local samples were above the limit.
- 3Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 4NitrateRecommended for every private well, especially near farms or septic systems.
- 5ChlorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 6ManganeseDetected in 96% of local samples.
- 7FluorideDetected in 92% of local samples.
- 8Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)9 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
Test your Fall Lake township well for copper, arsenic 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 Minnesota: certified labs, state programs and prices.
Already have results back? Get your lab report read against the Fall Lake township numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
Wells in Fall Lake township
293 domestic wells in Fall Lake township are on record with the state since 1972. 95% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 265 feet deep (one in ten goes past 325 feet).
In a typical Fall Lake township well, bedrock starts about 18 feet down.
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 Minnesota Well Index and choose Water Well.
- The record shows depth, casing, depth to bedrock, aquifer, static water level and the driller; new wells since 2008 also show the arsenic test result.
Wells drilled since 1974 have records; older wells appear only if a later owner reported them.
Official help in Minnesota
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.
- Wells and Borings, Minnesota Department of Health
- Accredited Laboratories as Well Partners, Minnesota Department of Health
Contamination sources on record in Fall Lake township
MPCA records 9 leaking underground storage tank sites in Fall Lake township, among 16 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.
- 9
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 5
- registered underground storage tank sitesRegistered tanks are regulated and inspected; they matter most when they are old or near a shallow well.
- 2
- lined landfills and transfer facilities
Treatment that fits the local profile
Copper
Neutralizing filter to raise pH; Point-of-use reverse osmosis
Arsenic
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Adsorptive media (iron-based) whole-house; Anion exchange
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 copper
Under-sink reverse osmosis system
under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
For copper
Acid neutralizing filter
whole-house, at the point of entry, about $1,200
Raises pH so plumbing stops leaching lead and copper.
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 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 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 Fall Lake township
No water treatment company serves Fall Lake 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 Fall Lake township, and you get an email naming it first.
Common questions
How deep are wells in Fall Lake township?
The typical domestic well in Fall Lake township is 265 feet deep, based on 293 wells reported to the state since 1972. One in ten is deeper than 325 feet. 95% are drilled into bedrock.
Is there arsenic in well water in Fall Lake township?
Arsenic was detected in 79% of 33 public well samples in Fall Lake township, 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 Fall Lake 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.
Towns near Fall Lake township
Closest first. Groundwater does not stop at a line on a map, so the next town over is a fair second opinion.
Want the numbers themselves? Download the Minnesota dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 353 samples in Fall Lake 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.
- Minnesota Well Index: 784 well records in Fall Lake township, 293 domestic. Well construction records from the Minnesota Well Index (Minnesota Department of Health), non-public-supply wells. Only aggregates are shown; owner names and addresses are never stored. Retrieved September 15, 2026.
- MPCA regulated sites: 16 regulated sites located in Fall Lake township. Tank, leak, remediation, Superfund and landfill sites from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency What's In My Neighborhood database. Retrieved September 15, 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.