Well water in Beaver County, Utah
1in8
Testing recommended
tested well samples in Beaver County exceeded the EPA limit for arsenic (10 ug/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.
5,678 test results across 10 contaminants from at least 439 wells, 1923 to 2021; chloride has the most at 1,809. Data refreshed September 15, 2026.
Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built
An estimated 273 people in Beaver 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 7% of the 273 people on private wells in Beaver County draw water above 10 ug/L (the model's range is 5% to 10%), from geology and well depth rather than local tests.
What individual samples found
Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Beaver 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenic 1994 to 2021 | 321 | 57% | 2.4 | 150 | 10 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Uranium 2005 to 2021 | 116 | 97% | 11.3 | 58.3 | 30 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Nitrate 1927 to 2021 | 470 | 97% | 1.91 | 1,600 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Copper 1994 to 2019 | 205 | 18% | 0 | 10.1 | 1.3 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Lead 1994 to 2021 | 207 | 4% | 0 | 460 | 15 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Fluoride 1943 to 2021 | 469 | 100% | 0.433 | 7.8 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Chloride 1923 to 2021 | no limit | 1,809 | 100% | 84.2 | 31,500 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
| Sodium 1927 to 2021 | no limit | 1,118 | 100% | 51.5 | 4,700 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
| Iron 1927 to 2021 | no limit | 507 | 49% | 0 | 21,000 | 300 ug/L nuisance level |
| Manganese 1950 to 2021 | no limit | 456 | 44% | 0 | 2,880 | 300 ug/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 | 9%339 samples | 6%33 samples | 5%84 samples | 7%14 samples |
| Fluoride | <1%345 samples | 0%34 samples | 1%76 samples | 7%14 samples |
| Arsenic | 9%171 samples | 30%57 samples | 10%79 samples | 14%14 samples |
| Copper | 0%171 samples | 30%30 samples | n/a | n/a |
| Lead | 1%171 samples | 3%30 samples | n/a | n/a |
| Uranium | n/a | 19%27 samples | 8%75 samples | 7%14 samples |
Arsenic above the limit in Beaver County fell from 30% of 57 samples in the 2000s to 10% of 79 in the 2010s.
Copper above the limit in Beaver County rose from 0% of 171 samples before 2000 to 30% of 30 in the 2000s.
Uranium above the limit in Beaver County fell from 19% of 27 samples in the 2000s to 8% of 75 in the 2010s.
Nitrate, 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 addressWhat this means
The contaminants most often above their limit here are arsenic (13% of 321 samples), uranium (10% of 116 samples), and nitrate (8% of 470 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 is widespread in local groundwater. It is mainly a staining and taste problem, but high manganese also carries a health advisory for infants.
What to test for in Beaver County
- 1Arsenic13% of 321 local samples were above the limit.
- 2Uranium10% of 116 local samples were above the limit.
- 3Nitrate8% of 470 local samples were above the limit.
- 4Copper4% of 205 local samples were above the limit.
- 5Lead1% of 207 local samples were above the limit.
- 6Fluoride1% of 469 local samples were above the limit.
- 7Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 8Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)26 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
- 9Metals panel6 hazardous waste sites on record locally.
Test your Beaver County well for arsenic, uranium and nitrate
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 Beaver County numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
The rock under Beaver 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 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 Beaver County
Utah DEQ records 26 leaking underground storage tank sites and 6 hazardous waste sites in Beaver County, among 66 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.
- 26
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 6
- hazardous waste sitesSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
- 34
- 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
Uranium
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Whole-house anion exchange
Nitrate
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Distillation
Copper
Neutralizing filter to raise pH; Point-of-use reverse osmosis
Lead
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Certified lead-removal carbon filter; Neutralizing filter to raise pH and stop leaching
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 copper
Acid neutralizing filter
whole-house, at the point of entry, about $1,200
Raises pH so plumbing stops leaching lead and copper.
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.
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Common questions
Is there arsenic in well water in Beaver County?
Arsenic was detected in 57% of 321 public well samples in Beaver County, and 13% 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 Beaver 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 Beaver 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 Utah dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 5,678 samples in Beaver 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 273 people on private wells in Beaver 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.
- Utah DEQ regulated sites: 66 regulated sites located in Beaver County. 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.