Well water in Elmdale township, Minnesota
In Elmdale township, 3% of 131 private wells tested between 2015 and 2019 had nitrate above the EPA limit (10 mg/L), according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
131 private wells tested 2015 to 2019 in state summaries; 73 test results across 9 contaminants from at least 8 wells, 1979 to 2017; fluoride has the most at 10. Data refreshed September 15, 2026.
Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built
What homeowner tests found
MDA Township Testing Program nitrate: private wells tested and reported to the state, 2015 to 2019. Shares are against the level the state applies to each contaminant, named in the last column; several are stricter than EPA.
| Contaminant | Above state level | Wells tested | Median | 95th pct | Highest | State level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate | 131 | 10 mg/L |
What individual samples found
Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Elmdale 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fluoride 1979 to 2017 | 10 | 100% | 0.21 | 0.27 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Iron 1979 to 2017 | no limit | 10 | 80% | 447 | 2,465 | 300 ug/L nuisance level |
| Chloride 1979 to 2017 | no limit | 10 | 80% | 6.88 | 50.1 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
| Sodium 1979 to 2017 | no limit | 10 | 100% | 8.45 | 15.3 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: Lead (7), Arsenic (7), Nitrate (6), Copper (4), Manganese (9).
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 homeowners in Elmdale township who sent a sample to the state lab, the health-based limits most often exceeded were nitrate (3% of 131 wells). These are ordinary wells tested by their owners, so the shares are the best available picture of a typical well here, with one caveat: people test more often when they suspect a problem.
What to test for in Elmdale township
- 1Nitrate3% of 131 local wells tested were above the EPA limit.
- 2Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 3FluorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 4ManganeseDetected in 89% of local samples.
- 5IronDetected in 80% of local samples.
- 6ChlorideDetected in 80% of local samples.
- 7CopperDetected in 75% of local samples.
Test your Elmdale township well for nitrate, coliform bacteria and fluoride
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.
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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 Elmdale township numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
Wells in Elmdale township
285 domestic wells in Elmdale township are on record with the state since 1975. 2% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 69 feet deep (one in ten goes past 124 feet).
In a typical Elmdale township well, bedrock starts about 75 feet down.
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 Elmdale 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 Elmdale township
MPCA records 3 regulated sites in Elmdale township, among 3 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.
- 1
- registered underground storage tank siteRegistered tanks are regulated and inspected; they matter most when they are old or near a shallow well.
- 1
- lined landfill or transfer facility
- 1
- other remediation project
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
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 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 Elmdale township
No water treatment company serves Elmdale 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 Elmdale township, and you get an email naming it first.
Common questions
How deep are wells in Elmdale township?
The typical domestic well in Elmdale township is 69 feet deep, based on 285 wells reported to the state since 1975. One in ten is deeper than 124 feet. 2% are drilled into bedrock.
How often should I test a private well in Elmdale 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 Elmdale 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: 73 samples in Elmdale 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.
- MDA Township Testing Program nitrate: summaries for 1 contaminants in Elmdale township, up to 131 wells each. Nitrate results from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture Township Testing Program, 2013 to 2019, which offered a free test to every well in 344 townships with vulnerable groundwater. Townships were selected for vulnerable geology and row-crop land use, so their shares run above the state as a whole; county and state figures are not derived from them. Share is the final (follow-up) result above 10 mg/L as N. Retrieved September 15, 2026.
- Minnesota Well Index: 307 well records in Elmdale township, 285 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: 3 regulated sites located in Elmdale 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.