Well water in Shaokatan township, Minnesota
In Shaokatan township, none of 59 tested well samples exceeded the EPA limit for arsenic, 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.
428 test results across 9 contaminants from at least 3 wells, 1994 to 2025; chloride has the most at 60. 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 Shaokatan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenic 2013 to 2025 | 59 | 80% | 1.77 | 3.5 | 10 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Copper 2013 to 2025 | 59 | 10% | 0 | 0.524 | 1.3 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Lead 2013 to 2025 | 59 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 15 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Fluoride 1994 to 2025 | 10 | 10% | 0 | 0.1 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Chloride 1994 to 2025 | no limit | 60 | 100% | 24.4 | 52.4 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
| Sodium 1994 to 2025 | no limit | 60 | 97% | 24 | 255 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
| Manganese 1994 to 2025 | no limit | 60 | 100% | 2,255 | 3,330 | 300 ug/L health guideline |
| Iron 1994 to 2025 | no limit | 60 | 82% | 765 | 4,140 | 300 ug/L nuisance level |
Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: Nitrate (1).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenic | n/a | n/a | 0%47 samples | 0%12 samples |
| Copper | n/a | n/a | 0%47 samples | 0%12 samples |
| Lead | n/a | n/a | 0%47 samples | 0%12 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
Among contaminants with a federal limit, no tested sample in Shaokatan 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 Shaokatan township
- 1Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 2NitrateRecommended for every private well, especially near farms or septic systems.
- 3ChlorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 4ManganeseDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 5IronDetected in 82% of local samples.
Test your Shaokatan township well for coliform bacteria, nitrate and chloride
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 Shaokatan township numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
Wells in Shaokatan township
25 domestic wells in Shaokatan township are on record with the state since 1914. 0% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 200 feet deep (one in ten goes past 362 feet).
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.
The rock under Shaokatan township
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 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 Shaokatan township
MPCA records 2 regulated sites in Shaokatan township, among 2 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
- lined landfills and transfer facilities
Treatment that fits the local profile
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
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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 Shaokatan township
No water treatment company serves Shaokatan 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 Shaokatan township, and you get an email naming it first.
Common questions
How deep are wells in Shaokatan township?
The typical domestic well in Shaokatan township is 200 feet deep, based on 25 wells reported to the state since 1914. One in ten is deeper than 362 feet. 0% are drilled into bedrock.
Is there arsenic in well water in Shaokatan township?
Arsenic was detected in 80% of 59 public well samples in Shaokatan 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 Shaokatan 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 Shaokatan 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: 428 samples in Shaokatan 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: 53 well records in Shaokatan township, 25 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: 2 regulated sites located in Shaokatan 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.