Well water in Douglas County, Nevada
1in2
Testing strongly recommended
tested well samples in Douglas County exceeded the EPA limit for arsenic (10 ug/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.
11,469 test results across 12 contaminants from at least 475 wells, 1967 to 2026; nitrate has the most at 3,651. Data refreshed September 15, 2026.
Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built
An estimated 6,697 people in Douglas County get their drinking water from a private well, per USGS 2015 county water use. That is about 14% of residents.
Separately, the USGS national arsenic model estimates that 3% of the 6,697 people on private wells in Douglas County draw water above 10 ug/L (the model's range is 3% to 4%), from geology and well depth rather than local tests.
What individual samples found
Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Douglas 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenic 1972 to 2026 | 334 | 87% | 8 | 95 | 10 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Nitrate 1967 to 2026 | 3,651 | 89% | 1.69 | 93 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Fluoride 1972 to 2026 | 1,574 | 83% | 0.2 | 34 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Uranium 1986 to 2013 | 114 | 82% | 2.21 | 36 | 30 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Lead 1983 to 2013 | 273 | 10% | 0 | 30 | 15 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Copper 1983 to 2013 | 273 | 18% | 0 | 75 | 1.3 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Radium (226 + 228) 1986 to 2013 | 60 | 32% | 0 | 2 | 5 pCi/L EPA limit | |
| Chloride 1972 to 2026 | no limit | 1,927 | 100% | 9.33 | 500 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
| Sodium 1974 to 2026 | no limit | 1,375 | 100% | 25.8 | 1,100 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
| Iron 1967 to 2026 | no limit | 1,268 | 61% | 5 | 23,000 | 300 ug/L nuisance level |
| Manganese 1974 to 2019 | no limit | 427 | 63% | 1 | 8,000 | 300 ug/L health guideline |
| Radon 1986 to 2013 | no limit | 193 | 98% | 840 | 16,000 | 2,000 pCi/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 | 8%2,021 samples | 10%909 samples | 12%520 samples | 25%201 samples |
| Fluoride | 5%913 samples | 7%366 samples | 4%194 samples | 0%101 samples |
| Arsenic | 40%302 samples | 92%12 samples | n/a | 50%16 samples |
| Lead | 2%257 samples | 0%12 samples | n/a | n/a |
| Copper | <1%257 samples | 0%12 samples | n/a | n/a |
| Uranium | 3%98 samples | 0%12 samples | n/a | n/a |
Nitrate above the limit in Douglas County rose from 12% of 520 samples in the 2010s to 25% of 201 in the 2020s.
Fluoride has 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 arsenic (43% of 334 samples), nitrate (10% of 3,651 samples), and fluoride (5% of 1,574 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 Douglas County
- 1Arsenic43% of 334 local samples were above the limit.
- 2Nitrate10% of 3,651 local samples were above the limit.
- 3Fluoride5% of 1,574 local samples were above the limit.
- 4Uranium3% of 114 local samples were above the limit.
- 5Lead2% of 273 local samples were above the limit.
- 6Copper<1% of 273 local samples were above the limit.
- 7Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 8Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)79 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
Test your Douglas County well for arsenic, nitrate 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.
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 Nevada: certified labs, state programs and prices.
Already have results back? Get your lab report read against the Douglas County numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
Wells in Douglas County
5,198 domestic wells in Douglas County are on record with the state since 1970. 100% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 187 feet deep (one in ten goes past 320 feet).
In a typical Douglas County well, bedrock starts about 115 feet down, the median yield is 25 gallons per minute, <1% of wells yield under 3 gallons per minute and usually need a storage tank.
Bedrock wells are where arsenic, uranium and radon come from: the water sits in fractures in granite and metamorphic rock and picks up whatever the rock carries. That is why testing for those three matters more here than in a dug or gravel well.
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 NDWR well driller reports and choose Water Well.
- The report lists depth, casing, static water level and the yield test.
Nevada has required driller reports since the 1940s, so most wells have one.
The rock under Douglas 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 Nevada
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 wells, NDEP
- Get Your Drinking Water Tested, NDEP
Contamination sources on record in Douglas County
NDEP corrective action release events records 79 leaking underground storage tank sites in Douglas County, among 80 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.
- 79
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 1
- other remediation project
Treatment that fits the local profile
Arsenic
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Adsorptive media (iron-based) whole-house; Anion exchange
Nitrate
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Distillation
Fluoride
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Activated alumina; Distillation
Uranium
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Whole-house anion exchange
Lead
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Certified lead-removal carbon filter; Neutralizing filter to raise pH and stop leaching
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 arsenic
Under-sink reverse osmosis system
under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
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 arsenic
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 lead
Aquasana Claryum 3-Stage under-sink filter
under-sink or countertop, about $175
Certified to NSF/ANSI 53 to reduce 99% of lead and 99.7% of PFOA and PFOS at the tap. Not a fix for arsenic, nitrate or bacteria.
For lead
Acid neutralizing filter
whole-house, at the point of entry, about $1,200
Raises pH so plumbing stops leaching lead and copper.
Free, no obligation
Get on the list for a free in-home water test in Douglas County
No water treatment company serves Douglas County 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 Douglas County, and you get an email naming it first.
Common questions
How deep are wells in Douglas County?
The typical domestic well in Douglas County is 187 feet deep, based on 5,198 wells reported to the state since 1970. One in ten is deeper than 320 feet. 100% are drilled into bedrock.
Is there arsenic in well water in Douglas County?
Arsenic was detected in 87% of 334 public well samples in Douglas County, and 43% 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 Douglas County?
The median radon level across 193 public samples in Douglas County was 840 pCi/L, with a high of 16,000 pCi/L. New Hampshire recommends treatment above 2,000 pCi/L.
How often should I test a private well in Douglas 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 Douglas 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 Nevada dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 11,469 samples in Douglas 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 6,697 people on private wells in Douglas 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.
- Nevada NDWR well driller reports: 6,930 well records in Douglas County, 5,198 domestic. Well driller reports filed with the Nevada Division of Water Resources. Only aggregates are shown; owner names and addresses are never stored. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
- NDEP corrective action release events: 80 regulated sites located in Douglas County. Leaking tank and other release events under corrective action at the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection. 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.