Well Water Notebook
Information only, not medical advice. We never say whether your water is safe to drink. Ask a state-certified lab or your local health department. Disclaimer

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Well water testing in Anoka County, Minnesota

Anoka County has more people on private wells than any other Minnesota county in USGS's estimates, and the county runs its own water testing lab program. Here's what new-well arsenic data show, what testing costs, and what to know if you're buying a home with a well. Every fact has a source.

This page can't tell you whether your water is safe to drink. Only a test of your well can do that. For help, call Anoka County Environmental Services, listed below.

How many people here use a private well

USGS estimates that about 83,000 people in Anoka County supplied their own household water in 2015, about 24% of the county's population, the most of any Minnesota county.1 Anoka County says there are about 25,000 private wells in the county.2

Arsenic in new Anoka County wells

Since August 2008, Minnesota has required new wells to be tested for arsenic.3 The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) summarizes those results by county. For 3,084 new Anoka County wells built from August 2008 through 2021:4

Measure Anoka County result
Wells with arsenic detected (2 µg/L or more) 52.4%
Wells over 10 µg/L (the drinking water standard) 8.0% (246 wells)
Median arsenic level 2.2 µg/L
95th percentile 12.6 µg/L

Statewide, MDH says about 10% of private wells are over 10 µg/L.3 Arsenic levels can differ between neighboring wells, so these numbers can't tell you about any one well.3

What to test and how often

MDH recommends testing for coliform bacteria and nitrate every year, and for arsenic, lead and manganese at least once.5

Testing through Anoka County

Anoka County Environmental Services tests private well water. Its published prices:2

Test Price
Coliform bacteria, nitrate, arsenic, manganese, iron, fluoride and other single tests $17 each
Lead $18
Hardness $35
Mercury $45
Iron bacteria $60

Check the county's page for current prices and hours.

Buying a home with a well in Anoka County

Minnesota requires the seller to disclose every known well on the property and its status before you sign, and a Well Disclosure Certificate ($54) is filed at closing. Minnesota doesn't require a water test or well inspection at transfer, but many lenders require coliform and nitrate tests.67

For an Anoka County home, consider adding arsenic and manganese to the lender's tests, and ask the seller for the well record. Wells built since 2008 should have an arsenic result in the Minnesota Well Index.3 Our Minnesota page and homebuyer's guide cover the rest.

Accredited labs and well records

Where to get tested and treatment options

Testing: Anoka County's program (above) or an MDH-accredited lab. See best way to test well water.

If a result is high: MDH lists treatment options for arsenic, including reverse osmosis, distillation and adsorptive media.3 Our guides cover what agencies say works:

  1. Dieter, C.A., and others, 2018, Estimated Use of Water in the United States County-Level Data for 2015 (ver. 2.0), U.S. Geological Survey data release. https://doi.org/10.5066/F7TB15V5 ↩

  2. Anoka County, "Well Water Testing." https://www.anokacountymn.gov/2009/Well-Water-Testing ↩↩↩↩↩↩

  3. Minnesota Department of Health, "Arsenic in Well Water." https://www.health.mn.gov/communities/environment/water/wells/waterquality/arsenic.html ↩↩↩↩↩

  4. Minnesota Department of Health, "Private Wells" interactive map, arsenic in new wells by county (August 2008–December 2021). https://mndatamaps.web.health.state.mn.us/interactive/wells.html ↩

  5. Minnesota Department of Health, "Well Testing, Results, and Options." https://www.health.mn.gov/communities/environment/water/wells/waterquality/tips.html ↩↩

  6. Minnesota Department of Health, "What You Should Know About Wells at Property Transfer." https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/water/wells/disclosures/wellsatpropertytransfer.html ↩

  7. Minnesota Department of Health, "Well Disclosure Certificate Instructions and Form" (PDF). https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/water/docs/wells/disclosures/certificateform.pdf ↩

  8. Minnesota Department of Health, "Minnesota Well Index (MWI)." https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/water/mwi/index.html ↩