Well water in Utah
1in5
Testing strongly recommended
tested well samples in Utah exceeded the EPA limit for arsenic (10 ug/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.
82,221 test results across 15 contaminants from at least 5,773 wells, 1911 to 2025; chloride has the most at 16,205. Data refreshed September 15, 2026.
Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built
An estimated 61,378 people in Utah get their drinking water from a private well, per USGS 2015 county water use.
Separately, the USGS national arsenic model estimates that 3% of the 61,378 people on private wells in Utah draw water above 10 ug/L (the model's range is 3% to 5%), from geology and well depth rather than local tests.
What individual samples found
Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Utah. 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 1964 to 2025 | 5,542 | 76% | 2 | 3,770 | 10 ug/L EPA limit | |
| PFOS 2020 to 2021 | 38 | 39% | 0 | 17 | 4 ng/L EPA limit | |
| PFOA 2020 to 2021 | 38 | 39% | 0 | 8.1 | 4 ng/L EPA limit | |
| Nitrate 1911 to 2025 | 11,031 | 90% | 1.1 | 1,600 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Radium (226 + 228) 1969 to 2022 | 534 | 63% | 0.08 | 48.9 | 5 pCi/L EPA limit | |
| Uranium 1965 to 2025 | 2,279 | 95% | 2.12 | 16,300 | 30 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Lead 1960 to 2022 | 3,278 | 24% | 0 | 1,570 | 15 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Copper 1951 to 2022 | 3,318 | 39% | 0 | 166 | 1.3 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Fluoride 1932 to 2025 | 8,786 | 96% | 0.3 | 450 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| E. coli 2008 to 2021 | 133 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 MPN/100mL EPA limit | |
| Chloride 1911 to 2025 | no limit | 16,205 | 99% | 77.9 | 464,000 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
| Sodium 1927 to 2025 | no limit | 12,894 | 100% | 72 | 418,000 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
| Iron 1911 to 2025 | no limit | 9,415 | 65% | 9.8 | 3,390,000 | 300 ug/L nuisance level |
| Manganese 1949 to 2025 | no limit | 8,543 | 61% | 0.48 | 883,000 | 300 ug/L health guideline |
| Radon 1998 to 2017 | no limit | 187 | 100% | 630 | 2,820 | 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 | 7%7,070 samples | 9%1,752 samples | 6%1,764 samples | 7%445 samples |
| Fluoride | 2%5,654 samples | 0%1,341 samples | <1%1,470 samples | 2%321 samples |
| Arsenic | 20%1,513 samples | 22%1,873 samples | 17%1,829 samples | 18%327 samples |
| Copper | 2%1,500 samples | 4%1,117 samples | <1%620 samples | 0%81 samples |
| Lead | 4%1,389 samples | <1%1,126 samples | <1%603 samples | 0%160 samples |
| Uranium | 14%225 samples | 3%592 samples | 1%1,224 samples | 4%238 samples |
Nitrate, fluoride, arsenic, copper, lead, uranium have held within a few points between the two most recent periods with enough samples.
What this means
The contaminants most often above their limit here are arsenic (19% of 5,542 samples), pfos (16% of 38 samples), and pfoa (13% of 38 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 Utah
- 1Arsenic19% of 5,542 local samples were above the limit.
- 2PFOS16% of 38 local samples were above the limit.
- 3PFOA13% of 38 local samples were above the limit.
- 4Nitrate8% of 11,031 local samples were above the limit.
- 5Radium (226 + 228)5% of 534 local samples were above the limit.
- 6Uranium3% of 2,279 local samples were above the limit.
- 7Lead2% of 3,278 local samples were above the limit.
- 8Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)3,837 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
- 9Metals panel496 hazardous waste sites on record locally.
Test your Utah well for arsenic, PFOS and PFOA
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 Utah: certified labs, state programs and prices.
Already have results back? Get your lab report read against the Utah numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
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Send me the Utah report
The numbers above, which tests to order and where, and the treatment that fits the local profile, in one email.
The rock under Utah
Colorado Plateaus aquifers
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 state centroid. A single well can sit in a different unit, especially near a boundary.
Official help in Utah
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.
- Drinking Water Consumer Information, Utah DEQ
- Certifications, Utah Public Health Laboratory
Contamination sources on record in Utah
Utah DEQ records 3,837 leaking underground storage tank sites and 496 hazardous waste sites in Utah, among 6,821 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.
- 3,837
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 496
- hazardous waste sitesSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
- 2,488
- registered underground storage tank sitesRegistered tanks are regulated and inspected; they matter most when they are old or near a shallow well.
Treatment that fits the local profile
Arsenic
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Adsorptive media (iron-based) whole-house; Anion exchange
PFOS
Granular activated carbon whole-house; Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange
PFOA
Granular activated carbon whole-house; Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange
Nitrate
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Distillation
Radium (226 + 228)
Water softener (cation exchange); 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 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 PFOS
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 PFOS
Whole-house PFAS carbon system
whole-house, at the point of entry, about $3,000
Granular activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for PFOA and PFOS; replace media on schedule.
For PFOS
Aquasana HealthShield whole-house filter
whole-house, at the point of entry, about $2,099
Whole-house carbon system the maker certifies to reduce PFAS (PFOA and PFOS) and VOCs at every tap; a UV option adds bacteria protection.
Common questions
Is there arsenic in well water in Utah?
Arsenic was detected in 76% of 5,542 public well samples in Utah, and 19% 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 Utah?
The median radon level across 187 public samples in Utah was 630 pCi/L, with a high of 2,820 pCi/L. New Hampshire recommends treatment above 2,000 pCi/L.
How often should I test a private well in Utah?
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 in Utah
- Beaver13% arsenic
- Box Elder6% nitrate
- Cache17% arsenic
- Carbon2% arsenic
- DaggettUSGS estimate
- Davis36% arsenic
- Duchesne5% arsenic
- Emery18% arsenic
- Garfield7% arsenic
- Grand18% nitrate
- Iron23% arsenic
- Juab24% lead
- Kane4% arsenic
- Millard34% arsenic
- Morgan6% arsenic
- Piute0% nitrate
- RichUSGS estimate
- Salt Lake23% arsenic
- San Juan28% uranium
- Sanpete6% nitrate
- Sevier8% arsenic
- Summit4% lead
- Tooele15% arsenic
- Uintah23% arsenic
- Utah8% arsenic
- Wasatch23% nitrate
- Washington41% arsenic
- Wayne24% arsenic
- Weber24% arsenic
Want the numbers themselves? Download the Utah dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 82,221 samples in Utah. 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 61,378 people on private wells in Utah 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.
- Utah DEQ regulated sites: 6,821 regulated sites located in Utah. Underground storage tank facilities, CERCLA site assessments and National Priorities List sites from the Utah 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.