Your county health department
Nebraska doesn't run a statewide free testing program that we know of. Some county health departments test wells or sell kits, so call yours first.
Nebraska's private well pageNitrate in Nebraska well water, by county
Nitrate is widespread, over the limit in 15% or more of tested wells, in 8 of the 29 Nebraska counties with 10 or more tested wells. 3 more look high, but those results likely overstate it. 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.
How Nebraska compares with the rest of the country
Across Nebraska, about 2 in 10 tested wells had nitrate over the EPA limit of 10 mg/L (179 of 1,097). Across all tested wells in the US it's about 1 in 12. So nitrate turns up in Nebraska wells about twice as often as in the country as a whole, and a test is worth adding even if your county isn't on the list below.
Why it matters: It's dangerous for babies under 6 months, because it keeps their blood from carrying enough oxygen.
Nitrate soaks down into groundwater from fertilizer, manure and septic systems.
Nitrate in tested wells, county by county
Share of each county's tested wells with at least one result over the EPA limit of 10 mg/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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Willow County | 10 | Widespread | |
| Colfax County | 11 | Widespread | |
| Seward County | 10 | Widespread | |
| York County | 38 | Widespread | |
| Phelps County | 12 | Widespread | |
| Platte County | 13 | Widespread | |
| Cuming County | 14 | Widespread | |
| Antelope County | 12 | Widespread | |
| Dodge County | 31 | Widespread | |
| Banner County | 53 | Widespread | |
| Lancaster County | 31 | Widespread | |
| Burt County | 56 | Worth checking | |
| Dundy County | 56 | Worth checking | |
| Sarpy County | 151 | Worth checking | |
| Perkins County | 26 | Worth checking | |
| Washington County | 62 | Worth checking | |
| Cass County | 11 | Worth checking | |
| Gosper County | 11 | Worth checking | |
| Douglas County | 57 | Worth checking | |
| Morrill County | 71 | Worth checking | |
| Chase County | 24 | Worth checking | |
| Scotts Bluff County | 25 | Worth checking | |
| Cheyenne County | 31 | Worth checking | |
| Sherman County | 23 | Rare | |
| Dakota County | 27 | Rare | |
| Lincoln County | 20 | Rare | |
| Custer County | 13 | Rare | |
| Dawson County | 11 | Rare | |
| Thurston 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:
- Red Willow County: All of these tests come from the US Geological Survey between 2000 and 2010, so this likely overstates it.
- York County: All of these tests come from the US Geological Survey in one small part of the county, so it may not match the rest of the county.
- Lancaster County: All of these tests come from the US Geological Survey, mostly before 2013 in one small part of the county, so this likely overstates it.
- Cheyenne County: All of these tests come from the US Geological Survey between 2002 and 2005 in one small part of the county, so this likely overstates it.
46 more Nebraska counties have 1 to 9 tested wells for nitrate, too few to rate.
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Where to get your well tested for nitrate in Nebraska
A lab Nebraska certifies
Ask for nitrate by name. Results from a certified lab count for a home sale or a loan.
Labs certified by NebraskaA mail-in kit
Fill the bottles at your kitchen tap and mail them back. We mark the kits that include nitrate.
Compare kitsKeep reading about wells in Nebraska
- Well water testing in Nebraska: how to get tested and what turns up statewide
- Nitrate in well water: where it comes from, what it does and how to remove it
- Arsenic in Nebraska wells, by county
- Uranium in Nebraska wells, by county
- Manganese in Nebraska wells, by county
- Lead in Nebraska wells, by county
Questions people ask about nitrate in Nebraska
Is there nitrate in Nebraska well water?
Nitrate is widespread, over the limit in 15% or more of tested wells, in 8 of the 29 Nebraska counties with 10 or more tested wells. 3 more look high, but those results likely overstate it. Across Nebraska, about 2 in 10 tested wells had nitrate over the EPA limit of 10 mg/L (179 of 1,097). Across all tested wells in the US it's about 1 in 12. So nitrate turns up in Nebraska wells about twice as often as in the country as a whole, and a test is worth adding even if your county isn't on the list below.
Where can I get my well tested for nitrate in Nebraska?
Use a lab certified by Nebraska for drinking water, or a mail-in kit that includes nitrate from a certified lab. Some county health departments test wells too, so call yours first.
See Nebraska'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 limit of 10 mg/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: Department of Water, Energy, and Environment.