Low-cost state testing
Missouri's state lab tests well water for bacteria for a $10 fee. Check which tests it includes before you count on it for lead.
Missouri's private well pageLead in Missouri well water, by county
Lead has turned up often in 1 of the 7 Missouri counties with 10 or more tested wells, but those results likely overstate it, because of who tested the wells, when or where. A county's share tells you how likely a problem is nearby. Only a test of your own well tells you what's in it.
These tests sample the groundwater, and lead rarely comes from the ground. In a home it mostly comes from plumbing: old solder, brass fittings and some older pumps. So a county's share can't tell you about your pipes. Test a first-draw sample, water that sat in the pipes overnight, from the tap you drink from.
How Missouri compares with the rest of the country
Across Missouri, about 1 in 45 tested wells had lead over the EPA action level of 15 µg/L (7 of 314). Across all tested wells in the US it's under 1 in 50. So lead turns up somewhat more often in Missouri than in the country as a whole. Check your county below.
Why it matters: It harms children's growing brains. The CDC says no amount in a child's blood is known to be safe.
Lead in tested wells, county by county
Share of each county's tested wells with at least one result over the EPA action level of 15 µg/L. Counties need 10 or more tested wells to be listed. Widespread means 15% or more, worth checking 5 to 15%, rare under 5%.
| County | Wells tested | Wells over the limit | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reynolds County | 26 | Widespread | |
| St. Francois County | 27 | Rare | |
| Jackson County | 55 | Rare | |
| Pulaski County | 75 | Rare | |
| Franklin County | 16 | Rare | |
| St. Charles County | 15 | Rare | |
| Clay County | 11 | Rare |
* Likely overstated. These shares come from a narrow set of wells, so they probably run high for the county as a whole:
- Reynolds County: All of these tests come from the US Geological Survey between 2004 and 2006 in one small part of the county, so this likely overstates it.
49 more Missouri counties have 1 to 9 tested wells for lead, too few to rate.
Download this table (CSV) · Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0
Where to get your well tested for lead in Missouri
A lab Missouri certifies
Ask for lead by name. Results from a certified lab count for a home sale or a loan.
Labs certified by MissouriA mail-in kit
Fill the bottles at your kitchen tap and mail them back. We mark the kits that include lead.
Compare kitsKeep reading about wells in Missouri
- Well water testing in Missouri: how to get tested and what turns up statewide
- Lead in well water: where it comes from, what it does and how to remove it
- Nitrate in Missouri wells, by county
- Arsenic in Missouri wells, by county
- Manganese in Missouri wells, by county
Questions people ask about lead in Missouri
Is there lead in Missouri well water?
Lead has turned up often in 1 of the 7 Missouri counties with 10 or more tested wells, but those results likely overstate it, because of who tested the wells, when or where. Across Missouri, about 1 in 45 tested wells had lead over the EPA action level of 15 µg/L (7 of 314). Across all tested wells in the US it's under 1 in 50. So lead turns up somewhat more often in Missouri than in the country as a whole. Check your county below.
Where can I get my well tested for lead in Missouri?
Missouri's state lab tests well water for bacteria for a $10 fee. If that doesn't cover you, use a lab certified by Missouri for drinking water, or a mail-in kit that includes lead from a certified lab.
See Missouri's list of certified labs, or compare mail-in kits.
Where these numbers come from
- Lab tests: Water Quality Portal (USGS and EPA), well samples since 2000. A well counts as over if any of its tests was over the EPA action level of 15 µg/L. Wells tested for studies and monitoring, not a random sample of homes.
- Likely overstated: our own check of who tested the wells, when and where. How we check.
- State programs and links: Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.