Water Quality and Testing

Announcements and news

• Response to EPA Nitrate Letter for Southeast Minnesota

Well testing information

As a private well owner, you are responsible for regularly testing your well water. Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) recommends:

Go to Well Testing, Results, and Options for more information on how to test your well water and what to do with your test results.

Accredited Labs in Minnesota Accepting Samples from Private Well Owners (PDF): This map and table show MDH accredited laboratories in Minnesota that accept samples from private well owners and are certified to test for arsenic, coliform bacteria, lead, manganese, and/or nitrate. MDH reviews and updates this map each year.

Water quality information

• Bacterial Safety of Well Water
• Causes and Symptoms of Giardiasis
• Commonly Asked Questions About Springs
• Copper in Drinking Water
• 1,4 Dioxane in Water (PDF)
• Flood Precautions For Private Water Wells
• Manganese in Drinking Water
• Owner's Guide to Wells
• Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and Private Wells
• Safe Drinking Water For Your Baby
• Sulfate in Well Water
• Well Owner's Handbook - A Consumer's Guide to Water Wells in Minnesota (PDF)
• Why Does My Water Smell Like Rotten Eggs? Hydrogen Sulfide and Sulfur Bacteria in Well Water
   
• Arsenic
  • Arsenic in Well Water
  • Arsenic in Well Water (PDF)
  • Water Treatment Units for Arsenic Reduction (PDF)
     
• Iron
  • Iron Bacteria in Well Water
  • Iron in Well Water
     
• Lead
  • Lead in Drinking Water
  • Lead in Well Water Systems
     
• Methane
  • Methane in Minnesota Well Water - Technical Document
  • Methane in Well Water - Consumer Brochure
     
• Nitrate
  • Nitrate in Well Water
  • Nitrate in Well Water (PDF)

Well disinfection

• Disinfecting Flooded Private Water Wells
• Well Disinfection

Well start-up procedures

• Schools, Offices, Factories, and Child Care (Nontransient)
• Restaurants, Resorts, Campgrounds (Transient)

Reports

• Quality of Water from Domestic Wells in Principal Aquifers of the United States, 1991-2004 Overview of Major Findings (PDF)
• Radium Occurs in Private Wells in Minnesota Groundwater, 2025 (PDF)

Of interest

• Safe Drinking Water for Your Baby
• Healthy Homes Minnesota - Well testing is part of a healthy home!

Questions

Well Management Section
651-201-4600 or 800-383-9808
health.wells@state.mn.us

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