Well water in Lancaster, New York

Name: Private well water quality in Lancaster, New York
Creator: Well Water Nerd
License: Public domain (US federal government data)

1in8

Testing recommended

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

262 test results across 9 contaminants from at least 8 wells, 1963 to 1983; chloride has the most at 32. Data refreshed September 3, 2026.

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

What individual samples found

Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Lancaster. 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 1981 to 1983	13%	31	58%	0.14	43.4	10 mg/L EPA limit
Fluoride 1981 to 1983	0%	31	84%	0.5	1.3	4 mg/L EPA limit
Lead 1981 to 1983	0%	28	18%	0	0	15 ug/L EPA limit
Arsenic 1981 to 1983	0%	28	4%	0	5	10 ug/L EPA limit
Copper 1981 to 1983	0%	25	8%	0	0.21	1.3 mg/L EPA limit
Chloride 1963 to 1983	no limit	32	100%	37	400	250 mg/L nuisance level
Iron 1981 to 1983	no limit	31	61%	90	590	300 ug/L nuisance level
Manganese 1981 to 1983	no limit	28	68%	20	200	300 ug/L health guideline
Sodium 1981 to 1983	no limit	28	100%	26	430	20 mg/L health guideline

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 address

What this means

The contaminants most often above their limit here are nitrate (13% of 31 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 Lancaster

1
Nitrate
13% of 31 local samples were above the limit.
2
Coliform bacteria
Recommended for every private well, every year.
3
Chloride
Detected in 100% of local samples.
4
Fluoride
Detected in 84% of local samples.
5
Manganese
Detected in 68% of local samples.
6
Iron
Detected in 61% of local samples.
7
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
4 hazardous waste sites on record locally.
8
Metals panel
4 hazardous waste sites on record locally.

Test your Lancaster 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 $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 New York: certified labs, state programs and prices.

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

The rock under Lancaster

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 town centroid. A single well can sit in a different unit, especially near a boundary.

Official help in New York

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, NYSDOH
Environmental Laboratory Approval Program, NYSDOH

Contamination sources on record in Lancaster

NYSDEC remediation sites records 4 hazardous waste sites in Lancaster, among 7 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.

4: hazardous waste sitesSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
3: 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

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 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

Get on the list for a free in-home water test in Lancaster

No water treatment company serves Lancaster 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 Lancaster, and you get an email naming it first.

Common questions

Is there arsenic in well water in Lancaster?

Arsenic was detected in 4% of 28 public well samples in Lancaster, 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 Lancaster?

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 Lancaster

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 York dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.

Sources

USGS Water Quality Portal: 262 samples in Lancaster. Data from the Water Quality Portal, a service of USGS, EPA and USDA; groundwater samples collected by USGS and cooperators. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
NYSDEC remediation sites: 7 regulated sites located in Lancaster. State Superfund, brownfield, voluntary cleanup, RCRA and spill remediation sites from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Environmental Remediation Sites database. Retrieved September 16, 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.