Your county health department
Alaska doesn't run a statewide free testing program that we know of. Some county health departments still test wells or sell kits, so call yours first.
Department of Environmental Conservation: private well testingGetting your well water tested in Alaska
Use a lab Alaska certifies, or a mail-in kit. Across the state, the ones worth testing for are fluoride, manganese and arsenic, plus bacteria and nitrate every year.
About 210,000 people in Alaska get their water from a private well, about 3 in 10 residents.
Three ways to get tested, cheapest first.
A lab Alaska certifies
The state's list of labs certified for drinking water. Many sell bottles you pick up or get by mail, and their results count for a home sale or loan.
Labs certified by AlaskaA mail-in kit
Order online, fill the bottles at your kitchen tap and get results by email in about a week. Full well tests run about $210 to $220.
Compare kits for AlaskaWhat turns up in Alaska wells.
Share of tested wells over the limit, from lab tests the USGS, EPA and state agencies collected since 2000. Your own well needs its own test.
Fluoride48%29 of 60Manganese10%3 of 29Arsenic6%362 of 6,090Nitrate1%105 of 7,198
GermsTest every year, whatever the chart says
Coliform bacteria100%5 of 5StainsNot a health risk
Iron stains10%3 of 29
Rare: under 5%Worth checking: 5 to 15%Widespread: 15%+
Lab results: Water Quality Portal (USGS and EPA)
Where it shows up most
- Arsenic shows up most in Anchorage Municipality (about 1 in 17 wells).
Find your county.
2 counties have a full report with local test results and well depths.
No full report for that county yet. The statewide results above still apply, and so do the three ways to get tested.
Every county in Alaska: people on wells and typical depth
| County | People on private wells | Share of residents | Typical well depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough | 62,434 | 58% | 106 ft |
| Kenai Peninsula Borough | 34,157 | 59% | 115 ft |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough | 28,567 | 30% | 92 ft |
| Anchorage Municipality | 26,054 | 9% | 152 ft |
| Bethel Census Area | 8,446 | 46% | 102 ft |
| Juneau City and Borough | 6,036 | 19% | 400 ft |
| Southeast Fairbanks Census Area | 5,828 | 86% | 101 ft |
| Kusilvak Census Area | 3,900 | 47% | – |
| Ketchikan Gateway Borough | 3,848 | 28% | – |
| Nome Census Area | 3,463 | 35% | – |
| Dillingham Census Area | 3,200 | 66% | 45 ft |
| Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | 2,507 | 47% | 95 ft |
| Aleutians West Census Area | 2,384 | 48% | – |
| Aleutians East Borough | 2,315 | 69% | – |
| Chugach Census Area | 2,258 | 32% | – |
| Copper River Census Area | 2,016 | 77% | – |
| Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area | 1,684 | 29% | – |
| Northwest Arctic Borough | 1,387 | 18% | – |
| North Slope Borough | 1,284 | 15% | – |
| Kodiak Island Borough | 1,278 | 10% | – |
| Hoonah-Angoon Census Area | 1,201 | 52% | – |
| Denali Borough | 1,175 | 73% | 124 ft |
| Lake and Peninsula Borough | 1,153 | 78% | 224 ft |
| Haines Borough | 1,125 | 54% | 120 ft |
| Bristol Bay Borough | 762 | 91% | – |
| Petersburg Borough | 599 | 18% | – |
| Wrangell City and Borough | 523 | 25% | – |
| Skagway Municipality | 206 | 17% | – |
| Sitka City and Borough | 202 | 2% | – |
| Yakutat City and Borough | 127 | 19% | – |
Questions people ask about well water in Alaska
Does Alaska require private wells to be tested?
Alaska doesn't require routine testing of existing private wells. Keeping a well safe is up to the owner, so test for bacteria and nitrate every year.
Where can I get my well water tested in Alaska?
Otherwise, use a lab certified by Alaska for drinking water. The state's list is linked on this page.
Where these numbers come from
- How many people use wells: EPA estimates from the 2020 Census.
- Lab tests: Water Quality Portal (USGS and EPA), well samples since 2000.
- State programs and links: Department of Environmental Conservation.