Well water in West Virginia
1in7
Testing recommended
tested well samples in West Virginia exceeded the EPA limit for PFOS (4 ng/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.
21,944 test results across 15 contaminants from at least 3,184 wells, 1931 to 2024; nitrate has the most at 4,109. Data refreshed September 15, 2026.
Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built
An estimated 391,591 people in West Virginia 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 391,591 people on private wells in West Virginia draw water above 10 ug/L (the model's range is 2% 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 West Virginia. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PFOS 2020 to 2022 | 34 | 18% | 0 | 14 | 4 ng/L EPA limit | |
| Nitrate 1931 to 2024 | 4,109 | 68% | 0.09 | 279 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| E. coli 1997 to 2022 | 536 | 5% | 0 | 220 | 0 MPN/100mL EPA limit | |
| Arsenic 1974 to 2024 | 703 | 56% | 0.16 | 138 | 10 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Lead 1974 to 2024 | 805 | 42% | 0 | 600 | 15 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Fluoride 1936 to 2024 | 2,294 | 85% | 0.2 | 12 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Copper 1978 to 2024 | 478 | 33% | 0 | 0.155 | 1.3 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Uranium 1993 to 2024 | 272 | 41% | 0 | 4.21 | 30 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Radium (226 + 228) 2011 to 2022 | 112 | 81% | 0.295 | 3.2 | 5 pCi/L EPA limit | |
| PFOA 2020 to 2022 | 34 | 47% | 0 | 3.9 | 4 ng/L EPA limit | |
| Chloride 1931 to 2024 | no limit | 3,527 | 100% | 7.31 | 110,000 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
| Iron 1931 to 2024 | no limit | 3,262 | 94% | 198 | 450,000 | 300 ug/L nuisance level |
| Manganese 1955 to 2024 | no limit | 2,664 | 90% | 89 | 22,000 | 300 ug/L health guideline |
| Sodium 1931 to 2024 | no limit | 2,626 | 100% | 16.6 | 47,000 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
| Radon 1988 to 2018 | no limit | 488 | 96% | 270 | 8,700 | 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%3,116 samples | 2%699 samples | 3%228 samples | 12%66 samples |
| Fluoride | <1%1,764 samples | <1%351 samples | 0%147 samples | 0%32 samples |
| Lead | 2%354 samples | 1%271 samples | <1%148 samples | 0%32 samples |
| Arsenic | 6%240 samples | 5%283 samples | 5%148 samples | 0%32 samples |
| E. coli | 0%90 samples | 2%344 samples | 21%101 samples | n/a |
| Copper | 0%308 samples | 0%17 samples | 0%121 samples | 0%32 samples |
Nitrate above the limit in West Virginia rose from 3% of 228 samples in the 2010s to 12% of 66 in the 2020s.
Arsenic above the limit in West Virginia fell from 5% of 148 samples in the 2010s to 0% of 32 in the 2020s.
E. coli above the limit in West Virginia rose from 2% of 344 samples in the 2000s to 21% of 101 in the 2010s.
Fluoride, lead, copper 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 pfos (15% of 34 samples), nitrate (6% of 4,109 samples), and e. coli (5% of 536 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 West Virginia
- 1PFOS15% of 34 local samples were above the limit.
- 2Nitrate6% of 4,109 local samples were above the limit.
- 3E. coli5% of 536 local samples were above the limit.
- 4Arsenic5% of 703 local samples were above the limit.
- 5Lead1% of 805 local samples were above the limit.
- 6Fluoride<1% of 2,294 local samples were above the limit.
- 7RadonMedian local reading is 270 pCi/L.
Test your West Virginia well for PFOS, nitrate and E. coli
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 West Virginia: certified labs, state programs and prices.
Already have results back? Get your lab report read against the West Virginia numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
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Send me the West Virginia report
The numbers above, which tests to order and where, and the treatment that fits the local profile, in one email.
The rock under West Virginia
Pennsylvanian 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 West 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.
- Individual Water Supplies, WV OEHS
- Water Quality Laboratories Certified in WV, WV OEHS
Treatment that fits the local profile
PFOS
Granular activated carbon whole-house; Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange
Nitrate
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Distillation
E. coli
Shock chlorination and fix the well cap or casing; UV disinfection whole-house; Chlorination system
Arsenic
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Adsorptive media (iron-based) whole-house; Anion exchange
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
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For PFOS
Under-sink reverse osmosis system
under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
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 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 E. coli
UV disinfection system
whole-house, at the point of entry, about $900
Fix the well cap and casing first; UV keeps bacteria from returning.
For E. coli
Aquasana Rhino Well Water with UV
whole-house, at the point of entry, about $2,871
Whole-house system built for wells: sediment pre-filter, KDF and carbon, and a UV lamp rated to kill 99.99% of bacteria and viruses. It does not remove arsenic, nitrate, uranium or radon.
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.
Common questions
Is there arsenic in well water in West Virginia?
Arsenic was detected in 56% of 703 public well samples in West Virginia, and 5% 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 West Virginia?
The median radon level across 488 public samples in West Virginia was 270 pCi/L, with a high of 8,700 pCi/L. New Hampshire recommends treatment above 2,000 pCi/L.
How often should I test a private well in West Virginia?
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 West Virginia
- BarbourUSGS estimate
- Berkeley15% nitrate
- Boone0% nitrate
- Braxton118 samples
- BrookeUSGS estimate
- Cabell92 samples
- CalhounUSGS estimate
- Clay67 samples
- DoddridgeUSGS estimate
- Fayette2% lead
- GilmerUSGS estimate
- GrantUSGS estimate
- Greenbrier2% nitrate
- Hampshire0% fluoride
- HancockUSGS estimate
- Hardy3% nitrate
- HarrisonUSGS estimate
- Jackson0% nitrate
- Jefferson24% nitrate
- Kanawha9% arsenic
- LewisUSGS estimate
- Lincoln0% nitrate
- Logan76 samples
- MarionUSGS estimate
- Marshall3% nitrate
- Mason6% nitrate
- McDowell<1% nitrate
- Mercer0% nitrate
- Mineral3% nitrate
- Mingo<1% nitrate
- Monongalia4% nitrate
- MonroeUSGS estimate
- Morgan0% arsenic
- Nicholas2% nitrate
- OhioUSGS estimate
- Pendleton0% nitrate
- PleasantsUSGS estimate
- Pocahontas3% nitrate
- Preston3% lead
- Putnam5% nitrate
- Raleigh0% copper
- Randolph0% fluoride
- RitchieUSGS estimate
- Roane3% fluoride
- Summers3% nitrate
- TaylorUSGS estimate
- Tucker0% fluoride
- Tyler0% nitrate
- UpshurUSGS estimate
- Wayne2% fluoride
- Webster<1% nitrate
- Wetzel0% nitrate
- WirtUSGS estimate
- WoodUSGS estimate
- Wyoming0% fluoride
Want the numbers themselves? Download the West Virginia dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 21,944 samples in West Virginia. 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 391,591 people on private wells in West Virginia 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.