Well water test results: what your numbers mean
A well water lab report is mostly a column of numbers and abbreviations, and very few of them come with a plain explanation. Private wells in Kansas aren't regulated the way a city system is, so nobody is required to interpret the report for you. This page does the comparison. Type in whatever your lab measured, skip what it didn't, and each result is lined up against the federal drinking water standard EPA sets for public systems, which K-State Research and Extension and KDHE use as the yardstick for private wells. The page sends nothing anywhere; the numbers stay on your screen.
Enter your results. Units are mg/L (the same as parts per million) unless the box says otherwise. A result shown as "<" or "ND" on your report means none was detected at that level; type it the same way.
The limits this page uses
| Test | Limit | Type | What going over means |
|---|---|---|---|
| E. coli / fecal coliform | None present | Health | Fecal contamination; stop drinking it |
| Total coliform | None present | Health indicator | A pathway into the well; disinfect and retest |
| Nitrate | 10 mg/L as N | Health (MCL) | Risk to infants under 6 months |
| Nitrite | 1 mg/L as N | Health (MCL) | Same oxygen-carrying problem as nitrate, at any age |
| Arsenic | 0.010 mg/L (10 µg/L) | Health (MCL) | Skin, circulation and cancer risk over years |
| Fluoride | 4.0 mg/L (guideline 2.0) | Health (MCL) / secondary | Bone disease above 4.0; tooth discoloration above 2.0 |
| Lead | 0.015 mg/L action level | Health (treatment trigger) | Developmental effects in children; usually from plumbing |
| Uranium | 30 µg/L | Health (MCL) | Kidney effects and cancer risk |
| Selenium | 0.05 mg/L | Health (MCL) | Hair and nail loss, numbness, circulation problems |
| Chloride | 250 mg/L | Secondary | Salty taste |
| Sulfate | 250 mg/L | Secondary | Salty taste |
| Total dissolved solids | 500 mg/L | Secondary | Deposits, staining, salty taste |
| Iron | 0.3 mg/L | Secondary | Rust color and orange stains |
| Manganese | 0.05 mg/L | Secondary | Black staining, bitter taste |
| pH | 6.5 to 8.5 | Secondary | Corrosion when low, deposits when high |
| Hardness | 100 mg/L or less acceptable; over 300 excessive | K-State guidance | Scale and soap scum; no health effect |
Health limits versus taste limits
EPA's standards come in two kinds, and the difference decides how worried to be. A maximum contaminant level, or MCL, is a health-based limit: public water systems must stay under it and notify customers when they don't. Secondary levels, or SMCLs, cover things that make water taste salty, smell, stain fixtures or scale up the water heater. EPA doesn't enforce those, even for cities. A private well owner isn't bound by either, but they are the clearest benchmark available, which is why K-State's guide for well owners, written with a KDHE environmental administrator, reports results against them. Practically: a red mark on this page is a reason to stop drinking the water or fix something soon; an amber one is a comfort and maintenance question.
The nitrate unit trap
Labs report nitrate two ways, and mixing them up makes a reading look four and a half times better or worse than it is. The 10 mg/L limit is written as nitrate-nitrogen, the nitrogen part of the molecule. If your report gives nitrate itself (sometimes written NO3), divide by 4.5 to compare it. K-State's advice when the report is unclear is simply to call the lab and ask. Nitrite gets extra weight: the guide says to multiply it by ten and add it to nitrate-nitrogen, and a total of 10 or more fails, which the reader checks for you.
Why Wichita-area wells get extra attention
Much of the country can treat chloride and arsenic as rare surprises. Around Wichita, they have a documented history in the Equus Beds aquifer. A 2015 USGS fact sheet describes a chloride plume near Burrton left by past oil and gas exploration, plus naturally salty water from the Arkansas River, both moving toward the city's well field, with chloride above the 250 mg/L guideline turning up in deep wells near Burrton and along the river. KDHE's saltwater advisory lists Sedgwick, Harvey and Reno among the counties with contaminated areas from historic oilfield brine. The same USGS work found naturally occurring arsenic above the 10 microgram limit in about 12 percent of shallow monitoring-well samples and nearly 35 percent of deep ones between 1995 and 2012. If you're on the west side of the county or your well is deep, arsenic and chloride belong on the test list even if the water tastes fine. Our guide to well water around Wichita goes deeper into the aquifer itself.
Getting a test that counts
- Use a KDHE-certified lab for the health tests. KDHE certifies drinking water laboratories, and K-State recommends picking one certified for the specific analyses you want.
- Bacteria samples are time-sensitive. K-State says the test has to start within 24 hours of collection, so check the lab's receiving days before you fill the bottle, and keep the sample cold but not frozen.
- Test on a schedule. K-State recommends a yearly test, with total coliform as often as four times a year, and a fresh bacteria test after any work on the well or plumbing.
- After pump work, test after chlorinating. Sedgwick County's well code requires chlorination whenever a pump or water line is removed or replaced, and testing for bacteria and nitrate at minimum on new or reconstructed wells. A pump repair or replacement is a natural time to retest.
- Selling inside Wichita? City code requires a well inspection before ownership changes hands.
A positive bacteria result usually traces back to a cracked casing, a loose or missing cap, a failed seal, or surface water pooling around the wellhead. That's work for a well contractor, and it's the kind of call this site exists for.
Sources
- U.S. EPA, National Primary Drinking Water Regulations: health limits for nitrate, nitrite, arsenic, fluoride, lead, uranium and selenium, and the coliform rule.
- U.S. EPA, Secondary Drinking Water Standards: chloride, sulfate, TDS, iron, manganese, pH and fluoride guidelines, and their non-enforceable status.
- K-State Research and Extension, Water Quality Tests for Private Wells (MF3679, 2024): coliform and E. coli actions, nitrate-N conversion, the 20 mg/L line, the nitrite rule, hardness ranges, testing frequency.
- K-State Research and Extension, Testing to Help Ensure Safe Drinking Water (MF951): KDHE lab certification and the 24-hour bacteria sample rule.
- USGS, Fact Sheet 2015-3010, and KDHE, Water Well Program saltwater advisory: the Burrton chloride plume, arsenic in the Equus Beds, and counties with oilfield brine contamination.
- Sedgwick County Water Well Code and City of Wichita well permitting: chlorination and testing after pump work, and the title-transfer inspection.
Questions people ask
- Is there a legal limit for private well water in Kansas?
- No. K-State Research and Extension notes that no federal or state rule requires private well owners to test or meet drinking water standards. EPA's public-system limits are used as the benchmark, and this page compares against them.
- My report says nitrate 30. Is that dangerous?
- It depends on the unit. If that is nitrate as NO3, it equals about 6.7 mg/L as nitrogen, under the 10 mg/L limit. If it is nitrate as nitrogen, it is three times the limit, and K-State says levels over 20 should be corrected. Ask the lab which one it is.
- Can I link to this test reader?
- Yes. Realtors, home inspectors and well owners' groups around Wichita are welcome to link to it. It's free and asks for nothing.
Describe what the well is doing
This is a referral line for private well owners, not a pump company. Your call or note goes to an independent well and pump contractor in the Wichita area, who sets the price and does the work. House completely out of water? Turn the pump breaker off so the motor isn't running dry, then call.