Your county health department
Nevada 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.
Division of Environmental Protection: private well testingGetting your well water tested in Nevada
Use a lab Nevada certifies, or a mail-in kit. Across the state, the ones worth testing for are arsenic, manganese, uranium, fluoride and nitrate, plus bacteria every year.
About 142,000 people in Nevada get their water from a private well, about 1 in 22 residents.
Three ways to get tested, cheapest first.
A lab Nevada 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 NevadaA 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 NevadaWhat turns up in Nevada 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.
Arsenic56%234 of 417Manganese13%70 of 547Uranium9%40 of 442Fluoride7%41 of 605Nitrate6%52 of 824Lead1%2 of 360Radon0%0 of 138
GermsTest every year, whatever the chart says
Coliform bacteria8%5 of 61StainsNot a health risk
Iron stains11%59 of 551
Rare: under 5%Worth checking: 5 to 15%Widespread: 15%+
Lab results: Water Quality Portal (USGS and EPA)
Where it shows up most
- Nitrate shows up most in Washoe County (about 2 in 10 wells), Nye County (about 1 in 16 wells).
- Arsenic shows up most in Washoe County (about 1 in 3 wells), Carson City (about 1 in 3 wells), Clark County (about 3 in 10 wells).
- Uranium shows up most in Carson City (about 1 in 3 wells), Churchill County (about 1 in 9 wells), Washoe County (about 1 in 14 wells).
Find your county.
5 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 Nevada: people on wells and typical depth
| County | People on private wells | Share of residents | Typical well depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clark County | 28,919 | 1% | 225 ft |
| Washoe County | 28,774 | 6% | 195 ft |
| Nye County | 15,563 | 30% | 140 ft |
| Douglas County | 12,057 | 24% | 180 ft |
| Lyon County | 11,849 | 20% | 160 ft |
| Elko County | 11,775 | 22% | 185 ft |
| Churchill County | 10,714 | 42% | 75 ft |
| Humboldt County | 5,910 | 34% | 160 ft |
| Pershing County | 4,042 | 61% | 145 ft |
| Carson City | 3,528 | 6% | 125 ft |
| Lander County | 1,923 | 34% | 120 ft |
| Storey County | 1,802 | 44% | 270 ft |
| Lincoln County | 1,652 | 37% | 158 ft |
| White Pine County | 1,633 | 18% | 160 ft |
| Eureka County | 956 | 52% | 204 ft |
| Esmeralda County | 604 | 83% | 200 ft |
| Mineral County | 520 | 11% | 125 ft |
Questions people ask about well water in Nevada
Does Nevada require private wells to be tested?
Nevada 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 Nevada?
Otherwise, use a lab certified by Nevada 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: Division of Environmental Protection.