Well water in Chesterfield County, South Carolina
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Testing recommended
tested well samples in Chesterfield County exceeded the EPA limit for radium (226 + 228) (5 pCi/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.
108 test results across 11 contaminants from at least 17 wells, 1954 to 2014; radium (226 + 228) has the most at 62. Data refreshed September 15, 2026.
Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built
An estimated 9,167 people in Chesterfield County get their drinking water from a private well, per USGS 2015 county water use. That is about 20% of residents.
Separately, the USGS national arsenic model estimates that 2% of the 9,167 people on private wells in Chesterfield County draw water above 10 ug/L (the model's range is 1% to 3%), from geology and well depth rather than local tests.
What individual samples found
Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Chesterfield 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radium (226 + 228) 2010 to 2014 | 62 | 89% | 0.525 | 13.2 | 5 pCi/L EPA limit | |
| Radon 2011 to 2012 | no limit | 15 | 100% | 190 | 320 | 2,000 pCi/L health guideline |
Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: Lead (3), Copper (4), Fluoride (3), Nitrate (3), Uranium (3), Manganese (6), Iron (3), Sodium (3), Chloride (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
The contaminants most often above their limit here are radium (226 + 228) (8% of 62 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 Chesterfield County
- 1Radium (226 + 228)8% of 62 local samples were above the limit.
- 2Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 3RadonMedian local reading is 190 pCi/L.
- 4NitrateRecommended for every private well, especially near farms or septic systems.
- 5LeadAbove the limit in 1 of 3 local samples; too few to quote a rate.
- 6FluorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 7ManganeseDetected in 100% of local samples.
Test your Chesterfield County well for radium (226 + 228), 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.
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Where to get a well tested in South Carolina: certified labs, state programs and prices.
Already have results back? Get your lab report read against the Chesterfield County numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
The rock under Chesterfield County
Southeastern Coastal Plain aquifer system
Semiconsolidated sand. Coastal plain sands like these give steady yields at moderate depth. Salt water and sodium are the usual issues near the coast, and nitrate where the water table is shallow; arsenic and radon from bedrock are less common.
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 South Carolina
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.
Treatment that fits the local profile
Radium (226 + 228)
Water softener (cation exchange); Point-of-use reverse osmosis
Manganese
Oxidizing filter (greensand, birm) whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Point-of-use reverse osmosis
Systems we would look at first
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For radium (226 + 228)
Under-sink reverse osmosis system
under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
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 Chesterfield County
No water treatment company serves Chesterfield 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 Chesterfield County, and you get an email naming it first.
Common questions
How high is radon in well water in Chesterfield County?
The median radon level across 15 public samples in Chesterfield County was 190 pCi/L, with a high of 320 pCi/L. New Hampshire recommends treatment above 2,000 pCi/L.
How often should I test a private well in Chesterfield 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 Chesterfield 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 South Carolina dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 108 samples in Chesterfield 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 9,167 people on private wells in Chesterfield 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.
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.