Well water in Northampton County, Virginia
1in4
Testing strongly recommended
tested well samples in Northampton County exceeded the EPA limit for nitrate (10 mg/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.
1,387 test results across 13 contaminants from at least 114 wells, 1945 to 2025; chloride has the most at 209. Data refreshed September 15, 2026.
Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built
An estimated 5,757 people in Northampton County get their drinking water from a private well, per USGS 2015 county water use. That is about 47% of residents.
Separately, the USGS national arsenic model estimates that 8% of the 5,757 people on private wells in Northampton County draw water above 10 ug/L (the model's range is 6% to 12%), from geology and well depth rather than local tests.
What individual samples found
Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Northampton 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 1975 to 2024 | 172 | 83% | 7.25 | 38 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Lead 1987 to 2024 | 92 | 30% | 0 | 90 | 15 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Fluoride 1954 to 2024 | 170 | 48% | 0 | 1.23 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Copper 1987 to 2024 | 92 | 29% | 0 | 0.02 | 1.3 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Arsenic 1988 to 2024 | 78 | 26% | 0 | 10 | 10 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Uranium 1998 to 2024 | 35 | 23% | 0 | 0.1 | 30 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Radium (226 + 228) 2012 to 2025 | 18 | 100% | 1 | 1.57 | 5 pCi/L EPA limit | |
| Chloride 1945 to 2025 | no limit | 209 | 100% | 31 | 24,200 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
| Iron 1954 to 2024 | no limit | 188 | 83% | 12.5 | 89,100 | 300 ug/L nuisance level |
| Sodium 1954 to 2024 | no limit | 172 | 100% | 17 | 11,700 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
| Manganese 1987 to 2024 | no limit | 145 | 97% | 19 | 2,160 | 300 ug/L health guideline |
| Radon 1988 to 2012 | no limit | 14 | 79% | 195 | 1,100 | 2,000 pCi/L health guideline |
Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: E. coli (2).
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 | 25%133 samples | 30%33 samples | n/a | n/a |
| Fluoride | 0%128 samples | 0%36 samples | n/a | n/a |
| Lead | 2%59 samples | 0%27 samples | n/a | n/a |
| Copper | 0%59 samples | 0%27 samples | n/a | n/a |
| Arsenic | 0%45 samples | 0%27 samples | n/a | n/a |
Nitrate above the limit in Northampton County rose from 25% of 133 samples before 2000 to 30% of 33 in the 2000s.
Fluoride, lead, copper, arsenic 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 nitrate (27% of 172 samples) and lead (1% of 92 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 Northampton County
- 1Nitrate27% of 172 local samples were above the limit.
- 2Lead1% of 92 local samples were above the limit.
- 3Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 4RadonMedian local reading is 195 pCi/L.
- 5ChlorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 6ManganeseDetected in 97% of local samples.
- 7IronDetected in 83% of local samples.
- 8Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)65 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
Test your Northampton County well for nitrate, lead and coliform bacteria
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 Virginia: certified labs, state programs and prices.
Already have results back? Get your lab report read against the Northampton County numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
Official help in Virginia
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.
- Private Well Program, VDH
- Drinking Water Laboratories, Virginia DCLS
Contamination sources on record in Northampton County
Virginia DEQ records 65 leaking underground storage tank sites and 7 reported spills and releases in Northampton County, among 82 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.
- 65
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 7
- reported spills and releasesMost spills are fuel; a few are solvents or chemicals that reach the water table.
- 6
- lined landfills and transfer facilities
- 4
- 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
Chloride
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Distillation
Manganese
Oxidizing filter (greensand, birm) whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Point-of-use reverse osmosis
Iron
Oxidizing filter whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Aeration plus filtration
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 Northampton County
No water treatment company serves Northampton 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 Northampton County, and you get an email naming it first.
Common questions
Is there arsenic in well water in Northampton County?
Arsenic was detected in 26% of 78 public well samples in Northampton 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 high is radon in well water in Northampton County?
The median radon level across 14 public samples in Northampton County was 195 pCi/L, with a high of 1,100 pCi/L. New Hampshire recommends treatment above 2,000 pCi/L.
How often should I test a private well in Northampton 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 Northampton 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 Virginia dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 1,387 samples in Northampton 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 5,757 people on private wells in Northampton 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.
- Virginia DEQ regulated sites: 82 regulated sites located in Northampton County. Petroleum releases and solid waste permits from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Environmental Data Mapper. Retrieved September 17, 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.