Well water in Rosebud County, Montana
In Rosebud County, 5% of 2,934 tested well samples exceeded the EPA limit for lead (15 ug/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.
62,297 test results across 12 contaminants from at least 1,407 wells, 1955 to 2021; chloride has the most at 19,676. Data refreshed September 15, 2026.
Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built
An estimated 1,587 people in Rosebud County get their drinking water from a private well, per USGS 2015 county water use. That is about 17% of residents.
Separately, the USGS national arsenic model estimates that 5% of the 1,587 people on private wells in Rosebud County draw water above 10 ug/L (the model's range is 4% to 6%), from geology and well depth rather than local tests.
What individual samples found
Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Rosebud 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead 1973 to 2021 | 2,934 | 20% | 0 | 400 | 15 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Radium (226 + 228) 1975 to 2021 | 1,708 | 100% | 1.7 | 44 | 5 pCi/L EPA limit | |
| Nitrate 1970 to 2021 | 743 | 86% | 0.3 | 195 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Fluoride 1970 to 2021 | 4,204 | 94% | 0.26 | 14 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Arsenic 1973 to 2021 | 2,086 | 27% | 0 | 4,600 | 10 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Copper 1973 to 2015 | 885 | 30% | 0 | 0.37 | 1.3 mg/L EPA limit | |
| E. coli 2013 to 2021 | 59 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 MPN/100mL EPA limit | |
| Chloride 1955 to 2021 | no limit | 19,676 | 100% | 46 | 8,240 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
| Sodium 1968 to 2021 | no limit | 18,131 | 100% | 287 | 7,880 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
| Manganese 1970 to 2021 | no limit | 7,479 | 93% | 160 | 33,900 | 300 ug/L health guideline |
| Iron 1968 to 2021 | no limit | 4,385 | 77% | 160 | 553,000 | 300 ug/L nuisance level |
Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: Uranium (7).
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 | 3%2,341 samples | 56%18 samples | <1%1,300 samples | 0%545 samples |
| Lead | 14%976 samples | 0%88 samples | <1%1,285 samples | <1%585 samples |
| Arsenic | 2%123 samples | 3%86 samples | <1%1,321 samples | 1%556 samples |
| Radium (226 + 228) | n/a | n/a | 6%1,160 samples | <1%545 samples |
| Copper | 0%794 samples | 0%59 samples | 0%32 samples | n/a |
| Nitrate | 5%558 samples | 0%35 samples | 0%138 samples | 0%12 samples |
Radium (226 + 228) above the limit in Rosebud County fell from 6% of 1160 samples in the 2010s to <1% of 545 in the 2020s.
Fluoride, lead, arsenic, copper, nitrate have held within a few points between the two most recent periods with enough samples.
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 lead (5% of 2,934 samples), radium (226 + 228) (5% of 1,708 samples), and nitrate (4% of 743 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, 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 Rosebud County
- 1Lead5% of 2,934 local samples were above the limit.
- 2Radium (226 + 228)5% of 1,708 local samples were above the limit.
- 3Nitrate4% of 743 local samples were above the limit.
- 4Fluoride2% of 4,204 local samples were above the limit.
- 5Arsenic1% of 2,086 local samples were above the limit.
- 6Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 7ChlorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 8Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)78 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
Test your Rosebud County well for lead, radium (226 + 228) and nitrate
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 Montana: certified labs, state programs and prices.
Already have results back? Get your lab report read against the Rosebud County numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
The rock under Rosebud 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 Montana
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.
- Water Resources, Montana DEQ
- Water Laboratory Certification Program, Montana DPHHS
Contamination sources on record in Rosebud County
Montana DEQ records 78 leaking underground storage tank sites in Rosebud County, among 94 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.
- 78
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 12
- 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
- 3
- other solid waste facilities
Treatment that fits the local profile
Lead
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Certified lead-removal carbon filter; Neutralizing filter to raise pH and stop leaching
Radium (226 + 228)
Water softener (cation exchange); Point-of-use reverse osmosis
Nitrate
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Distillation
Fluoride
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Activated alumina; Distillation
Arsenic
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Adsorptive media (iron-based) whole-house; Anion exchange
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 lead
Under-sink reverse osmosis system
under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
For lead
Acid neutralizing filter
whole-house, at the point of entry, about $1,200
Raises pH so plumbing stops leaching lead and copper.
For lead
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 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
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Common questions
Is there arsenic in well water in Rosebud County?
Arsenic was detected in 27% of 2,086 public well samples in Rosebud County, and 1% 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 Rosebud 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.
Counties near Rosebud 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 Montana dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 62,297 samples in Rosebud 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 1,587 people on private wells in Rosebud 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.
- Montana DEQ regulated sites: 94 regulated sites located in Rosebud County. Petroleum tank releases, underground storage tank facilities and licensed solid waste facilities from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. Retrieved September 18, 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.