Well water in Nebraska

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Testing strongly recommended

tested well samples in Nebraska exceeded the EPA limit for nitrate (10 mg/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal and Nebraska Groundwater Quality Clearinghouse.

78,819 test results across 13 contaminants from at least 17,392 wells, 1939 to 2026; nitrate has the most at 42,488. Data refreshed September 15, 2026.

Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built

An estimated 171,440 people in Nebraska get their drinking water from a private well, per USGS 2015 county water use.

Separately, the USGS national arsenic model estimates that 10% of the 171,440 people on private wells in Nebraska draw water above 10 ug/L (the model's range is 8% to 13%), from geology and well depth rather than local tests.

What individual samples found

Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Nebraska. 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 1939 to 2026	20%	42,488	89%	2.6	469	10 mg/L EPA limit
Uranium 1954 to 2026	8%	1,388	96%	2.94	273	30 ug/L EPA limit
Arsenic 1969 to 2026	8%	1,942	96%	3	59	10 ug/L EPA limit
Fluoride 1939 to 2026	<1%	5,749	99%	0.36	8.4	4 mg/L EPA limit
Radium (226 + 228) 1981 to 2015	0%	282	95%	0.31	3.9	5 pCi/L EPA limit
Chloride 1939 to 2026	no limit	7,396	99%	9.3	78,600	250 mg/L nuisance level
Sodium 1940 to 2026	no limit	7,164	100%	27	47,100	20 mg/L health guideline
Iron 1940 to 2026	no limit	5,878	65%	11.2	186,000	300 ug/L nuisance level
Manganese 1949 to 2026	no limit	5,608	69%	5.6	22,000	300 ug/L health guideline
Radon 1991 to 2008	no limit	908	100%	360	4,190	2,000 pCi/L health guideline

Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: PFOS (5), PFOA (5), Nitrite (6).

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	22%18,974 samples	20%6,294 samples	18%10,388 samples	20%6,832 samples
Fluoride	<1%3,781 samples	0%999 samples	0%538 samples	0%431 samples
Arsenic	10%600 samples	12%414 samples	4%504 samples	4%424 samples
Uranium	15%100 samples	13%360 samples	7%504 samples	4%424 samples
Radium (226 + 228)	0%82 samples	0%80 samples	0%120 samples	n/a

Nitrate, fluoride, arsenic, uranium, radium (226 + 228) have held within a few points between the two most recent periods with enough samples.

What this means

The contaminants most often above their limit here are nitrate (20% of 42,488 samples), uranium (8% of 1,388 samples), and arsenic (8% of 1,942 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 Nebraska

1
Nitrate
20% of 42,488 local samples were above the limit.
2
Uranium
8% of 1,388 local samples were above the limit.
3
Arsenic
8% of 1,942 local samples were above the limit.
4
Fluoride
<1% of 5,749 local samples were above the limit.
5
Coliform bacteria
Recommended for every private well, every year.
6
Radon
Median local reading is 360 pCi/L.
7
PFOS
Above the limit in 1 of 5 local samples; too few to quote a rate.

Test your Nebraska well for nitrate, uranium and arsenic

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 $209 Already 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 Nebraska: certified labs, state programs and prices.

Already have results back? Get your lab report read against the Nebraska numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.

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Send me the Nebraska report

The numbers above, which tests to order and where, and the treatment that fits the local profile, in one email.

The rock under Nebraska

High Plains aquifer

Unconsolidated sand and gravel. Wells in sand and gravel are usually shallow and productive, and they recharge quickly from the surface. That makes them the most exposed to nitrate, bacteria and anything spilled nearby, and the least likely to carry arsenic or radon from the rock.

Classification from the USGS Principal Aquifers of the United States (national map, 2003 edition, GIS release 2015), read at the state centroid. A single well can sit in a different unit, especially near a boundary.

Official help in Nebraska

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.

Private Citizen Water Test Kit Request Form, Nebraska DHHS
Laboratory Certification, Nebraska DHHS

Treatment that fits the local profile

Nitrate

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Distillation

Uranium

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Whole-house anion exchange

Arsenic

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Adsorptive media (iron-based) whole-house; Anion exchange

Fluoride

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Activated alumina; Distillation

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 uranium

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.

Common questions

Is there arsenic in well water in Nebraska?

Arsenic was detected in 96% of 1,942 public well samples in Nebraska, and 8% 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 high is radon in well water in Nebraska?

The median radon level across 908 public samples in Nebraska was 360 pCi/L, with a high of 4,190 pCi/L. New Hampshire recommends treatment above 2,000 pCi/L.

How often should I test a private well in Nebraska?

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 in Nebraska

Want the numbers themselves? Download the Nebraska dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.

Sources

USGS Water Quality Portal: 52,431 samples in Nebraska. Data from the Water Quality Portal, a service of USGS, EPA and USDA; groundwater samples collected by USGS and cooperators. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
Nebraska Groundwater Quality Clearinghouse: 26,388 samples in Nebraska. Groundwater quality results compiled by the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy, University of Nebraska and Nebraska Department of Agriculture in the Groundwater Quality Clearinghouse, contributed by Natural Resources Districts and state agencies. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
USGS national arsenic model (Ayotte 2017): estimated share of 171,440 people on private wells in Nebraska 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.

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.