Well water in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma

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Testing recommended

tested well samples in Pottawatomie County exceeded the EPA limit for nitrate (10 mg/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.

1,973 test results across 12 contaminants from at least 183 wells, 1948 to 2018; nitrate has the most at 228. Data refreshed September 15, 2026.

Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built

An estimated 26,483 people in Pottawatomie County get their drinking water from a private well, per USGS 2015 county water use. That is about 37% of residents.

Separately, the USGS national arsenic model estimates that <1% of the 26,483 people on private wells in Pottawatomie 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 Pottawatomie 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 1948 to 2018	15%	228	81%	0.678	150	10 mg/L EPA limit
Uranium 1977 to 2018	11%	170	93%	3.15	1,500	30 ug/L EPA limit
Lead 1983 to 2018	1%	100	41%	0	20	15 ug/L EPA limit
Arsenic 1977 to 2018	<1%	217	47%	0	24.7	10 ug/L EPA limit
Copper 1977 to 2018	0%	218	44%	0	0.56	1.3 mg/L EPA limit
Fluoride 1951 to 2018	0%	138	96%	0.3	3	4 mg/L EPA limit
Radium (226 + 228) 1987 to 2018	0%	46	85%	0.225	3	5 pCi/L EPA limit
Sodium 1948 to 2018	no limit	224	99%	62.4	2,120	20 mg/L health guideline
Manganese 1951 to 2018	no limit	219	53%	0	4,420	300 ug/L health guideline
Iron 1951 to 2018	no limit	213	32%	0	7,020	300 ug/L nuisance level
Chloride 1948 to 2018	no limit	151	95%	30	886	250 mg/L nuisance level
Radon 1987 to 2018	no limit	49	98%	260	3,600	2,000 pCi/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	14%93 samples	23%71 samples	8%64 samples	n/a
Copper	0%135 samples	0%40 samples	0%43 samples	n/a
Arsenic	0%134 samples	0%40 samples	2%43 samples	n/a
Uranium	9%117 samples	10%10 samples	16%43 samples	n/a
Fluoride	0%64 samples	0%31 samples	0%43 samples	n/a
Lead	2%47 samples	0%10 samples	0%43 samples	n/a

Nitrate above the limit in Pottawatomie County fell from 23% of 71 samples in the 2000s to 8% of 64 in the 2010s.

Uranium above the limit in Pottawatomie County rose from 9% of 117 samples before 2000 to 16% of 43 in the 2010s.

Copper, arsenic, fluoride, lead 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 address

What this means

The contaminants most often above their limit here are nitrate (15% of 228 samples), uranium (11% of 170 samples), and lead (1% of 100 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 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 Pottawatomie County

1
Nitrate
15% of 228 local samples were above the limit.
2
Uranium
11% of 170 local samples were above the limit.
3
Lead
1% of 100 local samples were above the limit.
4
Arsenic
<1% of 217 local samples were above the limit.
5
Coliform bacteria
Recommended for every private well, every year.
6
Radon
Median local reading is 260 pCi/L.
7
Fluoride
Detected in 96% of local samples.

Test your Pottawatomie County well for nitrate, uranium and lead

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 Oklahoma: certified labs, state programs and prices.

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

Wells in Pottawatomie County

4,809 domestic wells in Pottawatomie County are on record with the state since 1973. the typical well is 160 feet deep (one in ten goes past 240 feet).

In a typical Pottawatomie County well, the median yield is 16 gallons per minute, 4% of wells yield under 3 gallons per minute and usually need a storage tank.

707

1980s

1,063

1990s

1,344

2000s

946

2010s

672

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 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 Pottawatomie County

Central Oklahoma aquifer

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 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

Contamination sources on record in Pottawatomie County

Oklahoma DEQ land sites records 6 regulated sites in Pottawatomie County, among 6 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: lined landfills and transfer facilities
2: other remediation projects
2: other solid waste facilities

Treatment that fits the local profile

Nitrate

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Distillation

Uranium

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Whole-house anion exchange

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

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 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 uranium

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 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.

Free, no obligation

Get on the list for a free in-home water test in Pottawatomie County

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

Common questions

How deep are wells in Pottawatomie County?

The typical domestic well in Pottawatomie County is 160 feet deep, based on 4,809 wells reported to the state since 1973. One in ten is deeper than 240 feet.

Is there arsenic in well water in Pottawatomie County?

Arsenic was detected in 47% of 217 public well samples in Pottawatomie 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 high is radon in well water in Pottawatomie County?

The median radon level across 49 public samples in Pottawatomie County was 260 pCi/L, with a high of 3,600 pCi/L. New Hampshire recommends treatment above 2,000 pCi/L.

How often should I test a private well in Pottawatomie 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 Pottawatomie 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: 1,973 samples in Pottawatomie 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 26,483 people on private wells in Pottawatomie 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: 5,074 well records in Pottawatomie County, 4,809 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 .
Oklahoma DEQ land sites: 6 regulated sites located in Pottawatomie County. Superfund sites, voluntary cleanup sites and solid waste facilities from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. Retrieved September 18, 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.