Well water in Franklin township, Ohio
In Franklin township, 3% of 91 tested well samples exceeded the EPA limit for fluoride (4 mg/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.
957 test results across 11 contaminants from at least 31 wells, 1981 to 2013; nitrate has the most at 248. 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 Franklin 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fluoride 1981 to 2013 | 91 | 51% | 0.07 | 7 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Nitrate 1981 to 2006 | 248 | 26% | 0 | 4.5 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Lead 1995 to 2013 | 125 | 6% | 0 | 6 | 15 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Arsenic 1995 to 2013 | 124 | 19% | 0 | 4 | 10 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Copper 1995 to 2013 | 88 | 10% | 0 | 0.235 | 1.3 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Iron 1981 to 2013 | no limit | 93 | 98% | 207,000 | 957,000 | 300 ug/L nuisance level |
| Manganese 1981 to 2013 | no limit | 93 | 98% | 13,400 | 66,200 | 300 ug/L health guideline |
| Sodium 1981 to 2013 | no limit | 92 | 100% | 11.1 | 273 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: E. coli (1), Uranium (1), Radon (1).
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 | 0%192 samples | 0%56 samples | n/a | n/a |
| Lead | 0%95 samples | 0%28 samples | n/a | n/a |
| Arsenic | 0%94 samples | 0%28 samples | n/a | n/a |
| Fluoride | 5%61 samples | 0%28 samples | n/a | n/a |
| Copper | 0%58 samples | 0%28 samples | n/a | n/a |
Fluoride above the limit in Franklin township fell from 5% of 61 samples before 2000 to 0% of 28 in the 2000s.
Nitrate, lead, arsenic, copper have held within a few points between the two most recent periods with enough samples.
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
The contaminants most often above their limit here are fluoride (3% of 91 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.
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 Franklin township
- 1Fluoride3% of 91 local samples were above the limit.
- 2Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 3RadonMedian local reading is 30 pCi/L.
- 4NitrateRecommended for every private well, especially near farms or septic systems.
- 5IronDetected in 98% of local samples.
- 6ManganeseDetected in 98% of local samples.
- 7Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)30 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
- 8Metals panel1 hazardous waste site on record locally.
Test your Franklin township well for fluoride, coliform bacteria and radon
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 Ohio: certified labs, state programs and prices.
Already have results back? Get your lab report read against the Franklin township numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
Wells in Franklin township
582 domestic wells in Franklin township are on record with the state since 1970. 64% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 115 feet deep (one in ten goes past 326 feet).
In a typical Franklin township well, bedrock starts about 16 feet down, the median yield is 15 gallons per minute.
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 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 Franklin township
Pennsylvanian aquifers
Sandstone. Sandstone wells draw from pore space in the rock and tend to be dependable. Iron, manganese and hardness are common, and some sandstones carry arsenic or radium, so a first test should include both.
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 Franklin township
Ohio EPA records 30 leaking underground storage tank sites and 1 hazardous waste site in Franklin township, among 32 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.
- 30
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 1
- hazardous waste siteSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
- 1
- other remediation project
Treatment that fits the local profile
Fluoride
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Activated alumina; Distillation
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
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 fluoride
Under-sink reverse osmosis system
under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
For fluoride
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.
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Common questions
How deep are wells in Franklin township?
The typical domestic well in Franklin township is 115 feet deep, based on 582 wells reported to the state since 1970. One in ten is deeper than 326 feet. 64% are drilled into bedrock.
Is there arsenic in well water in Franklin township?
Arsenic was detected in 19% of 124 public well samples in Franklin 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 Franklin 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 Franklin 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 Ohio dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 957 samples in Franklin 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.
- Ohio DNR water well logs: 729 well records in Franklin township, 582 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: 32 regulated sites located in Franklin township. 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.