Well water in Kings County, New York
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Testing strongly recommended
tested well samples in Kings County exceeded the EPA limit for nitrate (10 mg/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.
3,245 test results across 9 contaminants from at least 97 wells, 1967 to 2021; nitrate has the most at 599. 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 Kings 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate 1967 to 2013 | 599 | 86% | 6.7 | 125 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Lead 1981 to 2013 | 327 | 55% | 0.08 | 3,000 | 15 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Copper 1981 to 2013 | 327 | 69% | 0.004 | 4.2 | 1.3 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Arsenic 1970 to 2013 | 318 | 27% | 0 | 69 | 10 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Fluoride 1969 to 2021 | 323 | 59% | 0.07 | 1 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Chloride 1967 to 2021 | no limit | 357 | 100% | 110 | 18,000 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
| Iron 1969 to 2021 | no limit | 335 | 93% | 240 | 730,000 | 300 ug/L nuisance level |
| Manganese 1969 to 2021 | no limit | 332 | 91% | 99.3 | 18,000 | 300 ug/L health guideline |
| Sodium 1969 to 2021 | no limit | 327 | 100% | 54.6 | 10,300 | 20 mg/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 | 33%285 samples | 31%226 samples | 23%88 samples | n/a |
| Lead | 16%172 samples | 3%111 samples | 0%44 samples | n/a |
| Copper | 4%171 samples | 0%112 samples | 0%44 samples | n/a |
| Fluoride | 0%164 samples | 0%111 samples | 0%44 samples | n/a |
| Arsenic | 1%162 samples | 0%112 samples | 0%44 samples | n/a |
Nitrate above the limit in Kings County fell from 31% of 226 samples in the 2000s to 23% of 88 in the 2010s.
Lead, copper, fluoride, arsenic 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 nitrate (31% of 599 samples), lead (9% of 327 samples), and copper (2% of 327 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 Kings County
- 1Nitrate31% of 599 local samples were above the limit.
- 2Lead9% of 327 local samples were above the limit.
- 3Copper2% of 327 local samples were above the limit.
- 4Arsenic<1% of 318 local samples were above the limit.
- 5Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 6ChlorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 7IronDetected in 93% of local samples.
- 8Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)155 hazardous waste sites on record locally.
- 9Metals panel155 hazardous waste sites on record locally.
Test your Kings County well for nitrate, lead and copper
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 York: certified labs, state programs and prices.
Already have results back? Get your lab report read against the Kings County numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
The rock under Kings County
Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system
Semiconsolidated sand. Coastal plain sands like these give steady yields at moderate depth. Salt water and sodium are the usual issues near the coast, and nitrate where the water table is shallow; arsenic and radon from bedrock are less common.
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 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 Kings County
NYSDEC remediation sites records 155 hazardous waste sites and 5 reported spills and releases in Kings County, among 544 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.
- 155
- hazardous waste sitesSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
- 5
- reported spills and releasesMost spills are fuel; a few are solvents or chemicals that reach the water table.
- 384
- other remediation projects
Treatment that fits the local profile
Nitrate
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Distillation
Lead
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Certified lead-removal carbon filter; Neutralizing filter to raise pH and stop leaching
Copper
Neutralizing filter to raise pH; Point-of-use reverse osmosis
Arsenic
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Adsorptive media (iron-based) whole-house; Anion exchange
Chloride
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Distillation
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 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.
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 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.
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Common questions
Is there arsenic in well water in Kings County?
Arsenic was detected in 27% of 318 public well samples in Kings 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 Kings 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.
Towns in Kings County
Counties near Kings 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 New York dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 3,245 samples in Kings 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.
- NYSDEC remediation sites: 544 regulated sites located in Kings County. 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.