Well water in Columbus, Ohio

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Testing recommended

tested well samples in Columbus exceeded the EPA limit for lead (15 ug/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.

2,544 test results across 12 contaminants from at least 72 wells, 1974 to 2014; nitrate has the most at 460. 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 Columbus. 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 1975 to 2014	15%	250	32%	0	60	15 ug/L EPA limit
Arsenic 1975 to 2014	10%	48	81%	2	67	10 ug/L EPA limit
Nitrate 1974 to 2006	<1%	460	34%	0	24.7	10 mg/L EPA limit
Fluoride 1974 to 2014	0%	306	98%	0.3	1.65	4 mg/L EPA limit
Copper 1975 to 2014	0%	251	15%	0	0.688	1.3 mg/L EPA limit
Sodium 1974 to 2014	no limit	306	100%	14.8	1,400	20 mg/L health guideline
Chloride 1974 to 2014	no limit	306	100%	36	1,800	250 mg/L nuisance level
Manganese 1974 to 2014	no limit	306	98%	87	1,400	300 ug/L health guideline
Iron 1974 to 2014	no limit	306	96%	2,000	27,000	300 ug/L nuisance level

Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: Uranium (2), E. coli (1), Radon (2).

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 lead (15% of 250 samples), arsenic (10% of 48 samples), and nitrate (<1% of 460 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, Manganese, and Iron 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 Columbus

1
Lead
15% of 250 local samples were above the limit.
2
Arsenic
10% of 48 local samples were above the limit.
3
Nitrate
<1% of 460 local samples were above the limit.
4
Coliform bacteria
Recommended for every private well, every year.
5
Radon
Median local reading is 460 pCi/L.
6
Chloride
Detected in 100% of local samples.
7
Manganese
Detected in 98% of local samples.
8
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
2,258 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
9
Metals panel
113 hazardous waste sites on record locally.

Test your Columbus well for lead, arsenic and nitrate

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 Ohio: certified labs, state programs and prices.

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

Wells in Columbus

2,624 domestic wells in Columbus are on record with the state since 1970. 44% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 74 feet deep (one in ten goes past 148 feet).

In a typical Columbus well, bedrock starts about 46 feet down, the median yield is 10 gallons per minute, 6% of wells yield under 3 gallons per minute and usually need a storage tank.

218

1970s

186

1980s

168

1990s

129

2000s

2010s

2020s

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 ODNR water well log search and choose Water Well.
The log lists depth, depth to bedrock, casing, static water level, the pump test and the driller.

Ohio has required well logs since 1948, so most drilled wells have one.

The rock under Columbus

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 Ohio

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 Water Systems Program, Ohio Department of Health
Laboratory Certification, Ohio EPA

Contamination sources on record in Columbus

Ohio EPA records 2,258 leaking underground storage tank sites and 113 hazardous waste sites in Columbus, among 2,438 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.

2,258: leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
113: hazardous waste sitesSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
20: lined landfills and transfer facilities
47: other remediation projects

Treatment that fits the local profile

Lead

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Certified lead-removal carbon filter; Neutralizing filter to raise pH and stop leaching

Arsenic

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

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

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 lead

Under-sink reverse osmosis system

under-sink or countertop, about $300

Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.

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 lead

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 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 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 Columbus

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

Common questions

How deep are wells in Columbus?

The typical domestic well in Columbus is 74 feet deep, based on 2,624 wells reported to the state since 1970. One in ten is deeper than 148 feet. 44% are drilled into bedrock.

Is there arsenic in well water in Columbus?

Arsenic was detected in 81% of 48 public well samples in Columbus, and 10% 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 Columbus?

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 Columbus

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

Sources

USGS Water Quality Portal: 2,544 samples in Columbus. Data from the Water Quality Portal, a service of USGS, EPA and USDA; groundwater samples collected by USGS and cooperators. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
Ohio DNR water well logs: 6,483 well records in Columbus, 2,624 domestic. Water well logs filed with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Water Resources since 1948. Only aggregates are shown; owner names and addresses are never stored. Retrieved September 17, 2026.
Ohio EPA regulated sites: 2,438 regulated sites located in Columbus. Remediation sites, leaking underground storage tank releases (BUSTR) and landfills from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the Division of State Fire Marshal. Retrieved September 17, 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.