Only 2 health checks had enough tested wells in Boone County, and both came back rare.
Both health checks came back rare here.
From 47 wells tested in Boone County since 2000; your own well needs its own test. How to read this
Not charted, because fewer than 10 wells were tested: arsenic (7), uranium (7), radon (2), manganese (7), lead (7).
Rare: under 5%Worth checking: 5 to 15%Widespread: 15%+
Lab results: Water Quality Portal (USGS and EPA)
Who drinks from a well here
1 in 9 people 20,348 people
Nobody else tests these wells. Only you do.
People on wells: EPA researchers' 2020 estimate
How deep wells go here
Deep wells: fewer surface germs, more minerals from the rock.
Well depths: US Groundwater Well Database
Radon risk (a gas from rock)
Possible here. A home air test is inexpensive.
Radon zones: EPA map
Here's how Boone County compares with Missouri and the counties around it.
Each result puts Boone County next to the 7 counties that border it, on the chart's 0 to 50% scale.
Both health checks are rare in Boone County.
Nitrate2 of 47 wells over
Fluoride0 of 47 wells over
Too few Boone County wells were tested for these 5.
Arsenic7 wells tested
Uranium7 wells tested
Radon in water2 wells tested
Manganese7 wells tested
Lead7 wells tested
None of the 2 Boone County wells tested for bacteria had it, but every well needs a yearly test.
Coliform bacteria0 of 2 wells had it
E. coli0 of 2 wells had it
E. coli means human or animal waste is getting in, so if a test of your Boone County well finds it, boil drinking water until the well is fixed.
Iron reached staining levels in 34 of 47 tested wells, and it isn't a health risk.
Iron stains34 of 47 wells had it
Most of the 47 wells tested in Boone County were last tested before 2010.
An old result shows the water as it was then, so treat these 47 wells as a starting point and test your own.
Most Boone County wells in these records were tested for research or because someone suspected a problem, which can push the shares above what a typical home well would show (how we read the numbers).
One mail-in lab test covers the 3 things to check in Boone County.
- Bacteria
- Nitrate
- Arsenic
What Missouri offers well owners
- Free testingThe State Public Health Laboratory tests private well water for bacteria for a $10 handling fee, with kits available through local public health agencies. See the program
- Certified labsMissouri's list of certified labs
- Well recordsMissouri's well record search
Half the household wells here are shallower than 485 feet.
That comes from 572 household wells in Missouri's drilling records. Most wells of every kind here are 175 to 500 feet deep. Wells as deep as Boone County's are usually better protected from fertilizer and bacteria at the surface, but they can pick up more of what's in the rock, like arsenic and uranium. Typical household wells here go deeper than in 95 of the 105 other Missouri counties with enough drilling records.
Look up your own well's depth in Missouri's well record search, or see how to find it.
Well depths: US Groundwater Well Database
Here's what we know about radon and PFAS in Boone County.
Boone County is in the EPA's middle radon zone. An indoor air test is cheap and tells you whether to look at your water. Radon guide
Between 2023 and 2025 the EPA had 8 town water systems in Boone County test for PFAS. None found any. No well in Boone County has public PFAS results, so the town systems are the best clue to what's in the groundwater nearby. PFAS guide
Radon zones: EPA Map of Radon Zones. PFAS: EPA tests of town water systems, 2023 to 2025
Questions people ask about well water in Boone County
Is well water in Boone County safe to drink?
Most tested wells in Boone County came in under the limits. Of 2 health checks with enough tests, nitrate came closest, at 2 of 47 wells over. Every well is different, so test yours for bacteria, nitrate and arsenic.
Can I get my well tested for free in Boone County?
The State Public Health Laboratory tests private well water for bacteria for a $10 handling fee, with kits available through local public health agencies. If not, use a lab Missouri has certified for drinking water. Ask for bacteria, nitrate and arsenic, the tests that matter most in Boone County.
How deep are wells in Boone County?
Half the household wells here are shallower than 485 feet. Typical household wells here go deeper than in 95 of the 105 other Missouri counties with enough drilling records.
How often should I test my well in Boone County?
None of the 2 wells tested for bacteria in Boone County had it, but the CDC still says to test for bacteria and nitrate every year, and right away after a flood, a repair, or any change in taste or smell.
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Where the Boone County numbers come from
- People on wells: 20,348 in Boone County, from EPA estimates built on the 2020 Census (Murray et al.).
- Lab tests: 1,689 well water samples from 47 wells in the Water Quality Portal, run by the USGS and EPA, 2000 to 2023.
- Well depths: 572 Missouri drilling records for Boone County, gathered in the US Groundwater Well Database (Lin and others, 2024).
- Neighboring counties: the 7 counties that share a border with Boone County, from the Census Bureau's county adjacency file.
- PFAS: EPA tests of 8 town water systems in Boone County under the Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 2023 to 2025.
- Radon: Boone County is zone 2 on the EPA Map of Radon Zones.
- State programs and links: Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, checked November 1, 2026.