Well water in Latimer County, Oklahoma
In Latimer County, iron was detected in 99% of 135 tested well samples from USGS Water Quality Portal.
The strongest signal is coliform bacteria: Recommended for every private well, every year, too few samples to carry the headline but first on the test list below.
457 test results across 9 contaminants from at least 123 wells, 1976 to 1981; iron has the most at 135. Data refreshed September 15, 2026.
Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built
An estimated 412 people in Latimer County get their drinking water from a private well, per USGS 2015 county water use. That is about 4% of residents.
Separately, the USGS national arsenic model estimates that <1% of the 412 people on private wells in Latimer County draw water above 10 ug/L (the model's range is <1% to 1%), from geology and well depth rather than local tests.
What individual samples found
Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Latimer 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 1976 to 1979 | 12 | 50% | 0 | 1.2 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Arsenic 1976 to 1979 | 11 | 100% | 1 | 7 | 10 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Fluoride 1976 to 1979 | 11 | 100% | 0.6 | 0.9 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Iron 1976 to 1981 | no limit | 135 | 99% | 100 | 200,000 | 300 ug/L nuisance level |
| Chloride 1976 to 1981 | no limit | 133 | 100% | 44 | 531 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
| Manganese 1976 to 1981 | no limit | 132 | 93% | 50 | 6,400 | 300 ug/L health guideline |
| Sodium 1976 to 1979 | no limit | 11 | 100% | 200 | 330 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: Copper (9), Lead (3).
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
Among contaminants with a federal limit, no tested sample in Latimer County came back above it. That is reassuring, but sampling is uneven: wells that were never tested are not in this data.
Iron, Chloride, 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 Latimer County
- 1Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 2NitrateRecommended for every private well, especially near farms or septic systems.
- 3FluorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 4ChlorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 5IronDetected in 99% of local samples.
- 6ManganeseDetected in 93% of local samples.
Test your Latimer County well for coliform bacteria, nitrate and fluoride
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 Oklahoma: certified labs, state programs and prices.
Already have results back? Get your lab report read against the Latimer County numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
Wells in Latimer County
222 domestic wells in Latimer County are on record with the state since 1984. the typical well is 165 feet deep (one in ten goes past 300 feet).
In a typical Latimer County well, the median yield is 3 gallons per minute, 46% of wells yield under 3 gallons per minute and usually need a storage tank.
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 OWRB well log search and choose Water Well.
- It lists depth, first water, yield and the driller.
Oklahoma has required well logs since 1972.
The rock under Latimer County
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 county centroid. A single well can sit in a different unit, especially near a boundary.
Official help in Oklahoma
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.
- Technical Assistance (private citizen well water testing), Oklahoma DEQ
- Laboratory Accreditation, Oklahoma DEQ
Treatment that fits the local profile
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 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.
Free, no obligation
Get on the list for a free in-home water test in Latimer County
No water treatment company serves Latimer County 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 Latimer County, and you get an email naming it first.
Common questions
How deep are wells in Latimer County?
The typical domestic well in Latimer County is 165 feet deep, based on 222 wells reported to the state since 1984. One in ten is deeper than 300 feet.
Is there arsenic in well water in Latimer County?
Arsenic was detected in 100% of 11 public well samples in Latimer County, 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 Latimer 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.
Counties near Latimer 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 Oklahoma dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 457 samples in Latimer 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 412 people on private wells in Latimer 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.
- Oklahoma OWRB reported well logs: 239 well records in Latimer County, 222 domestic. Well completion reports filed with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, located by public land survey. Only aggregates are shown; owner names and addresses are never stored. Retrieved .
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.