Well water in Chester township, New Jersey
1in5
Testing strongly recommended
private wells tested between 2002 and 2024 in Chester township had total coliform above the New Jersey limit (any detection), according to NJDEP.
1,343 private wells tested 2002 to 2024 in state summaries; 109 test results across 11 contaminants from at least 11 wells, 1988 to 2025; manganese has the most at 17. Data refreshed September 9, 2026.
Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built
What homeowner tests found
NJDEP Private Well Testing Act summaries: private wells tested and reported to the state, 2002 to 2024. Shares are against the level the state applies to each contaminant, named in the last column; several are stricter than EPA.
What individual samples found
Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Chester 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead 1988 to 2025 | 13 | 46% | 0 | 30 | 15 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Nitrate 1988 to 2025 | 15 | 100% | 0.3 | 4.32 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Arsenic 1990 to 2025 | 14 | 7% | 0 | 0.07 | 10 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Manganese 1988 to 2025 | no limit | 17 | 82% | 2.65 | 105 | 300 ug/L health guideline |
| Iron 1988 to 2025 | no limit | 16 | 88% | 16 | 237 | 300 ug/L nuisance level |
| Sodium 1988 to 2025 | no limit | 13 | 100% | 3.69 | 7.7 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: Radium (226 + 228) (8), Uranium (4), PFOA (2), PFOS (2), Radon (5).
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 Chester township who sent a sample to the state lab, the health-based limits most often exceeded were total coliform (19% of 1,343 wells), PFOA (6% of 192 wells), and PFOS (4% of 192 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.
Iron and manganese exceed the state's advisory level in a sizable share of wells; these are mostly a taste, staining or diet issue rather than a toxicity one.
What to test for in Chester township
- 1Total coliform19% of 1,343 local wells tested were above the New Jersey limit (any detection).
- 2Lead8% of 13 local samples were above the limit.
- 3PFOA6% of 192 local wells tested were above the New Jersey limit.
- 4PFOS4% of 192 local wells tested were above the New Jersey limit.
- 5Uranium1% of 408 local wells tested were above the New Jersey limit.
- 6E. coli1% of 1,339 local wells tested were above the New Jersey limit (any detection).
- 7Nitrate1% of 1,343 local wells tested were above the New Jersey limit.
- 8Arsenic<1% of 1,343 local wells tested were above the New Jersey limit.
- 9Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)1 hazardous waste site on record locally.
- 10Metals panel1 hazardous waste site on record locally.
Test your Chester township well for total coliform, lead and PFOA
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 New Jersey: certified labs, state programs and prices.
Already have results back? Get your lab report read against the Chester township numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
The rock under Chester township
Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers
Igneous and metamorphic-rock. Granite and similar crystalline rock hold water only in fractures. Wells are deep and yields modest, and the rock itself is the source of arsenic, radon and uranium, which is why those three head the test list in bedrock country.
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 New Jersey
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, NJDEP
- Certified Laboratories, NJDEP
Contamination sources on record in Chester township
NJDEP records 1 hazardous waste site in Chester township, among 33 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
- hazardous waste siteSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
- 25
- registered underground storage tank sitesRegistered tanks are regulated and inspected; they matter most when they are old or near a shallow well.
- 7
- other remediation projects
Treatment that fits the local profile
Total coliform
Inspect and repair the well cap and casing, then shock chlorinate and retest; UV disinfection whole-house; Chlorination system
PFOA
Granular activated carbon whole-house; Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange
Gross alpha
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Water softener (cation exchange) for radium; Anion exchange for uranium
Iron
Oxidizing filter whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Aeration plus filtration
Manganese
Oxidizing filter (greensand, birm) whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Point-of-use reverse osmosis
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 total coliform
Aquasana Rhino Well Water with UV
whole-house, at the point of entry, about $2,871
Whole-house system built for wells: sediment pre-filter, KDF and carbon, and a UV lamp rated to kill 99.99% of bacteria and viruses. It does not remove arsenic, nitrate, uranium or radon.
For PFOA
Under-sink reverse osmosis system
under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
For PFOA
Whole-house PFAS carbon system
whole-house, at the point of entry, about $3,000
Granular activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for PFOA and PFOS; replace media on schedule.
For PFOA
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.
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.
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Get on the list for a free in-home water test in Chester township
No water treatment company serves Chester 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 Chester township, and you get an email naming it first.
Common questions
Is there arsenic in well water in Chester township?
Arsenic was detected in 7% of 14 public well samples in Chester 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 Chester 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 Chester 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 New Jersey dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 109 samples in Chester 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.
- NJDEP Private Well Testing Act summaries: summaries for 11 contaminants in Chester township, up to 1,343 wells each. Share of private wells exceeding each standard in tests required at sale or lease under the New Jersey Private Well Testing Act, September 2002 to December 2024, published by NJDEP. Tests are untreated water at the time of sale or lease, so every well is counted once per transaction. Municipalities with fewer than ten wells are suppressed. Standards are New Jersey's: arsenic 5 ug/L, PFOA 14 ng/L, PFOS 13 ng/L, PFNA 13 ng/L, manganese and iron secondary standards. Uranium and PFAS were added to the required panel in 2021 and 2020, so their well counts are smaller. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- NJDEP regulated sites: 33 regulated sites located in Chester township. Known Contaminated Sites, regulated underground storage tank facilities and solid waste landfills from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJ-GeoWeb). Retrieved September 9, 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.