Well water in Big Lake township, Minnesota
1in18
Testing recommended
private wells tested between 2015 and 2019 in Big Lake township had nitrate above the EPA limit (10 mg/L), according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
775 private wells tested 2015 to 2019 in state summaries; 557 test results across 11 contaminants from at least 28 wells, 1963 to 2018; nitrate has the most at 107. 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 | 775 | 10 mg/L |
What individual samples found
Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Big 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate 1963 to 2018 | 107 | 89% | 3.78 | 206 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Fluoride 1963 to 2018 | 58 | 79% | 0.08 | 0.208 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Copper 1974 to 2018 | 41 | 83% | 0.002 | 0.014 | 1.3 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Lead 1974 to 2018 | 41 | 37% | 0 | 0.3 | 15 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Arsenic 1974 to 2018 | 41 | 85% | 0.48 | 5.1 | 10 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Uranium 2002 to 2018 | 30 | 100% | 0.234 | 2.45 | 30 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Radium (226 + 228) 2018 | 16 | 75% | 0.08 | 0.81 | 5 pCi/L EPA limit | |
| Chloride 1963 to 2018 | no limit | 62 | 100% | 18.7 | 88 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
| Iron 1963 to 2018 | no limit | 57 | 60% | 5.4 | 7,600 | 300 ug/L nuisance level |
| Sodium 1963 to 2018 | no limit | 57 | 100% | 5 | 65.7 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
| Manganese 1963 to 2018 | no limit | 47 | 85% | 17.3 | 1,310 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate | 46%35 samples | 38%40 samples | 28%32 samples | n/a |
| Fluoride | 0%17 samples | 0%20 samples | 0%21 samples | n/a |
| Copper | n/a | 0%19 samples | 0%21 samples | n/a |
| Lead | n/a | 0%19 samples | 0%21 samples | n/a |
| Arsenic | n/a | 0%19 samples | 0%21 samples | n/a |
| Uranium | n/a | 0%19 samples | 0%11 samples | n/a |
Nitrate above the limit in Big Lake township fell from 38% of 40 samples in the 2000s to 28% of 32 in the 2010s.
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
Among homeowners in Big Lake township who sent a sample to the state lab, the health-based limits most often exceeded were nitrate (6% of 775 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 Big Lake township
- 1Nitrate37% of 107 local samples were above the limit.
- 2Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 3ChlorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 4ManganeseDetected in 85% of local samples.
- 5CopperDetected in 83% of local samples.
- 6FluorideDetected in 79% of local samples.
- 7IronDetected in 60% of local samples.
- 8Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)8 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
- 9Metals panel1 hazardous waste site on record locally.
Test your Big Lake township well for nitrate, coliform bacteria 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 Big Lake township numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
Wells in Big Lake township
2,206 domestic wells in Big Lake township are on record with the state since 1969. 43% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 110 feet deep (one in ten goes past 170 feet).
In a typical Big Lake township well, bedrock starts about 80 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 Big Lake township
Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system
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 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 Big Lake township
MPCA records 8 leaking underground storage tank sites and 1 hazardous waste site in Big Lake township, among 29 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.
- 8
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 1
- hazardous waste siteSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
- 15
- registered underground storage tank sitesRegistered tanks are regulated and inspected; they matter most when they are old or near a shallow well.
- 3
- lined landfills and transfer facilities
- 2
- other remediation projects
Treatment that fits the local profile
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 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 Big Lake township
No water treatment company serves Big 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 Big Lake township, and you get an email naming it first.
Common questions
How deep are wells in Big Lake township?
The typical domestic well in Big Lake township is 110 feet deep, based on 2,206 wells reported to the state since 1969. One in ten is deeper than 170 feet. 43% are drilled into bedrock.
Is there arsenic in well water in Big Lake township?
Arsenic was detected in 85% of 41 public well samples in Big Lake 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 Big 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 Big 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: 557 samples in Big 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.
- MDA Township Testing Program nitrate: summaries for 1 contaminants in Big Lake township, up to 775 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: 2,341 well records in Big Lake township, 2,206 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: 29 regulated sites located in Big 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.