Well water in Tripp County, South Dakota

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Testing recommended

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

709 test results across 11 contaminants from at least 102 wells, 1937 to 1983; chloride has the most at 146. 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 Tripp 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 1954 to 1983	7%	122	92%	1.27	105	10 mg/L EPA limit
Lead 1974 to 1983	6%	18	78%	0	100	15 ug/L EPA limit
Fluoride 1937 to 1982	3%	74	96%	0.585	30	4 mg/L EPA limit
Arsenic 1973 to 1983	0%	25	96%	2	7	10 ug/L EPA limit
Radium (226 + 228) 1979 to 1982	0%	13	100%	1.5	4.6	5 pCi/L EPA limit
Uranium 1979	0%	12	17%	0	0.15	30 ug/L EPA limit
Chloride 1937 to 1982	no limit	146	99%	6	800	250 mg/L nuisance level
Sodium 1954 to 1982	no limit	123	100%	17	880	20 mg/L health guideline
Iron 1937 to 1982	no limit	109	87%	90	509,000	300 ug/L nuisance level
Manganese 1937 to 1982	no limit	58	74%	30	270	300 ug/L health guideline

Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: Copper (9).

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 (7% of 122 samples), lead (6% of 18 samples), and fluoride (3% of 74 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.

Chloride, 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 Tripp County

1
Nitrate
7% of 122 local samples were above the limit.
2
Lead
6% of 18 local samples were above the limit.
3
Fluoride
3% of 74 local samples were above the limit.
4
Coliform bacteria
Recommended for every private well, every year.
5
Chloride
Detected in 99% of local samples.
6
Iron
Detected in 87% of local samples.
7
Manganese
Detected in 74% of local samples.
8
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
143 reported spills and releases on record locally.

Test your Tripp County well for nitrate, lead 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 $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 South Dakota: certified labs, state programs and prices.

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

Wells in Tripp County

377 domestic wells in Tripp County are on record with the state since 1973. the typical well is 140 feet deep (one in ten goes past 1,400 feet).

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

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 DANR well completion reports and choose Water Well.
It lists depth, aquifer, static water level and the driller.

South Dakota has required reports since 1986.

The rock under Tripp 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 South Dakota

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.

Test a Private Well, South Dakota Department of Health
Drinking Water Program - Laboratory Certification, South Dakota DANR

Contamination sources on record in Tripp County

South Dakota DANR tank facilities and spills records 143 reported spills and releases in Tripp County, among 188 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.

143: reported spills and releasesMost spills are fuel; a few are solvents or chemicals that reach the water table.
29: registered underground storage tank sitesRegistered tanks are regulated and inspected; they matter most when they are old or near a shallow well.
16: other solid waste facilities

Treatment that fits the local profile

Nitrate

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

Lead

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Certified lead-removal carbon filter; Neutralizing filter to raise pH and stop leaching

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 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 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 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 Tripp County

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

Common questions

How deep are wells in Tripp County?

The typical domestic well in Tripp County is 140 feet deep, based on 377 wells reported to the state since 1973. One in ten is deeper than 1,400 feet.

Is there arsenic in well water in Tripp County?

Arsenic was detected in 96% of 25 public well samples in Tripp 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 Tripp 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 Tripp 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 Dakota dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.

Sources

USGS Water Quality Portal: 709 samples in Tripp 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.
South Dakota DANR well completion reports: 722 well records in Tripp County, 377 domestic. Well completion reports filed with the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Only aggregates are shown; owner names and addresses are never stored. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
South Dakota DANR tank facilities and spills: 188 regulated sites located in Tripp County. Regulated tank facilities and spill reports from the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. 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.