New York has free or low-cost well testing. Across the state, the ones worth testing for are manganese, plus bacteria and nitrate every year.
About 1,784,000 people in New York get their water from a private well, about 1 in 11 residents.
The Private Well PFAS Testing and Mitigation Rebate Pilot Program offers limited free PFAS testing and treatment rebates in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Suffolk, Ulster and Westchester counties.
Department of Health: private well testingThe 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 New YorkOrder 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 New YorkShare 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.
Rare: under 5%Worth checking: 5 to 15%Widespread: 15%+
Lab results: Water Quality Portal (USGS and EPA)
14 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.
| County | People on private wells | Share of residents | Typical well depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange County | 108,720 | 27% | 290 ft |
| Dutchess County | 97,920 | 33% | 330 ft |
| Ulster County | 90,938 | 50% | 260 ft |
| St. Lawrence County | 56,842 | 52% | 120 ft |
| Saratoga County | 56,807 | 24% | 200 ft |
| Putnam County | 53,236 | 55% | 386 ft |
| Oneida County | 51,494 | 22% | 96 ft |
| Oswego County | 47,680 | 41% | 74 ft |
| Rensselaer County | 47,239 | 29% | 310 ft |
| Steuben County | 46,521 | 50% | 120 ft |
| Westchester County | 45,497 | 5% | 465 ft |
| Broome County | 44,279 | 22% | 160 ft |
| Chautauqua County | 43,988 | 34% | 80 ft |
| Sullivan County | 43,303 | 55% | 300 ft |
| Jefferson County | 41,356 | 35% | 103 ft |
| Cattaraugus County | 37,937 | 49% | 100 ft |
| Columbia County | 37,488 | 61% | 340 ft |
| Clinton County | 35,598 | 45% | 160 ft |
| Tompkins County | 34,640 | 33% | 140 ft |
| Washington County | 34,036 | 56% | 360 ft |
| Erie County | 33,175 | 3% | 70 ft |
| Otsego County | 32,200 | 55% | 180 ft |
| Cayuga County | 31,693 | 42% | 119 ft |
| Greene County | 29,905 | 62% | 287 ft |
| Chenango County | 29,287 | 62% | 198 ft |
| Tioga County | 28,435 | 59% | 120 ft |
| Onondaga County | 28,419 | 6% | 140 ft |
| Delaware County | 27,376 | 62% | 265 ft |
| Madison County | 25,399 | 37% | 118 ft |
| Ontario County | 25,264 | 22% | 100 ft |
| Franklin County | 24,500 | 52% | 178 ft |
| Allegany County | 24,480 | 53% | 110 ft |
| Herkimer County | 23,916 | 40% | 159 ft |
| Livingston County | 23,537 | 38% | 108 ft |
| Fulton County | 23,119 | 43% | 198 ft |
| Chemung County | 21,785 | 26% | 129 ft |
| Wyoming County | 21,583 | 53% | 80 ft |
| Albany County | 21,043 | 7% | 259 ft |
| Montgomery County | 20,518 | 41% | 193 ft |
| Genesee County | 20,454 | 35% | 56 ft |
| Schoharie County | 20,362 | 69% | 240 ft |
| Orleans County | 19,678 | 49% | 45 ft |
| Wayne County | 19,468 | 21% | 79 ft |
| Suffolk County | 18,805 | 1% | 64 ft |
| Cortland County | 18,186 | 39% | 160 ft |
| Warren County | 17,636 | 27% | 320 ft |
| Lewis County | 17,449 | 66% | 143 ft |
| Yates County | 15,299 | 62% | 110 ft |
| Essex County | 14,980 | 40% | 345 ft |
| Seneca County | 14,031 | 41% | 100 ft |
| Schuyler County | 13,282 | 74% | 100 ft |
| Schenectady County | 9,722 | 6% | 250 ft |
| Monroe County | 5,719 | under 1% | 65 ft |
| Hamilton County | 3,339 | 65% | 283 ft |
| Niagara County | 3,124 | 1% | 50 ft |
| Nassau County | 1,063 | under 1% | 145 ft |
| Rockland County | 319 | under 1% | 240 ft |
| Bronx County | 0 | 0% | – |
| Kings County | 0 | 0% | 60 ft |
| New York County | 0 | 0% | – |
| Queens County | 0 | 0% | 82 ft |
| Richmond County | 0 | 0% | – |
New York 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.
The Private Well PFAS Testing and Mitigation Rebate Pilot Program offers limited free PFAS testing and treatment rebates in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Suffolk, Ulster and Westchester counties. Otherwise, use a lab certified by New York for drinking water. The state's list is linked on this page.