Well water in Wayne County, Ohio
In Wayne County, none of 54 tested well samples exceeded the EPA limit for fluoride, based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.
The strongest signal is arsenic: 43% of 14 local samples were above the limit, too few samples to carry the headline but first on the test list below.
347 test results across 9 contaminants from at least 19 wells, 1984 to 2014; manganese has the most at 58. Data refreshed September 15, 2026.
Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built
An estimated 55,706 people in Wayne County get their drinking water from a private well, per USGS 2015 county water use. That is about 48% of residents.
Separately, the USGS national arsenic model estimates that 40% of the 55,706 people on private wells in Wayne County draw water above 10 ug/L (the model's range is 24% to 54%), from geology and well depth rather than local tests.
What individual samples found
Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Wayne 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenic 2012 to 2014 | 14 | 86% | 9.8 | 15.3 | 10 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Lead 1997 to 2014 | 15 | 13% | 0 | 20 | 15 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Nitrate 1985 | 24 | 33% | 0 | 29.7 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Fluoride 1984 to 2014 | 54 | 41% | 0 | 0.48 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Copper 1997 to 2014 | 15 | 27% | 0 | 0.007 | 1.3 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Manganese 1984 to 2014 | no limit | 58 | 100% | 225 | 3,200 | 300 ug/L health guideline |
| Iron 1984 to 2014 | no limit | 58 | 100% | 2,250 | 55,000 | 300 ug/L nuisance level |
| Sodium 1984 to 2014 | no limit | 55 | 100% | 27 | 150 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
| Chloride 1984 to 2014 | no limit | 54 | 100% | 48 | 280 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fluoride | 0%40 samples | n/a | 0%14 samples | n/a |
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 arsenic (43% of 14 samples), lead (7% of 15 samples), and nitrate (4% of 24 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.
Manganese, Iron, and Chloride 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 Wayne County
- 1Arsenic43% of 14 local samples were above the limit.
- 2Lead7% of 15 local samples were above the limit.
- 3Nitrate4% of 24 local samples were above the limit.
- 4Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 5ManganeseDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 6IronDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 7ChlorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 8Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)510 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
- 9Metals panel28 hazardous waste sites on record locally.
Test your Wayne County well for arsenic, lead 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 $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 Wayne County numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
Wells in Wayne County
14,440 domestic wells in Wayne County are on record with the state since 1970. 87% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 110 feet deep (one in ten goes past 181 feet).
In a typical Wayne County well, bedrock starts about 25 feet down, the median yield is 15 gallons per minute, <1% of wells yield under 3 gallons per minute and usually need a storage tank.
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 Wayne County
Mississippian aquifers
Sandstone and carbonate-rock. Layered sandstone and limestone means a well may draw from either. Hardness and iron are routine, and the limestone layers can carry bacteria and nitrate from the surface quickly, so test for both yearly.
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 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 Wayne County
Ohio EPA records 510 leaking underground storage tank sites and 28 hazardous waste sites in Wayne County, among 551 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.
- 510
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 28
- hazardous waste sitesSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
- 6
- lined landfills and transfer facilities
- 7
- other remediation projects
Treatment that fits the local profile
Arsenic
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Adsorptive media (iron-based) whole-house; Anion exchange
Lead
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Certified lead-removal carbon filter; Neutralizing filter to raise pH and stop leaching
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 arsenic
Under-sink reverse osmosis system
under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
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 arsenic
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 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.
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Get on the list for a free in-home water test in Wayne County
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Common questions
How deep are wells in Wayne County?
The typical domestic well in Wayne County is 110 feet deep, based on 14,440 wells reported to the state since 1970. One in ten is deeper than 181 feet. 87% are drilled into bedrock.
Is there arsenic in well water in Wayne County?
Arsenic was detected in 86% of 14 public well samples in Wayne County, and 43% 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 Wayne 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 Wayne County
19 towns have fewer than 30 public samples and are included in the Wayne County totals above rather than shown separately: Baughman township, Canaan township, Chester township, Chippewa township, Clinton township, Congress township, East Union township, Franklin township, Green township, Milton township, Norton, Paint township, Plain township, Rittman, Salt Creek township, Sugar Creek township, Wayne township, Wooster, Wooster township.
Counties near Wayne 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 Ohio dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 347 samples in Wayne 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.
- USGS national arsenic model (Ayotte 2017): estimated share of 55,706 people on private wells in Wayne County above 10 ug/L of arsenic, from geology, well depth and land use. County estimates of domestic well users with arsenic above 10 ug/L from the USGS national logistic regression model (Ayotte, Medalie and Qi, 2017), with private well population from the USGS 2015 county water-use compilation (Dieter and others, 2018). Retrieved September 15, 2026.
- Ohio DNR water well logs: 17,506 well records in Wayne County, 14,440 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: 551 regulated sites located in Wayne County. 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.