Free testing, with limits
Free PFAS testing in New York is limited to a pilot in 6 counties. Check which tests it includes before you count on it for manganese.
New York's private well pageManganese in New York well water, by county
Manganese is widespread, over the limit in 15% or more of tested wells, in 15 of the 52 New York counties with 10 or more tested wells. 1 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 New York compares with the rest of the country
Across New York, about 1 in 7 tested wells had manganese over the EPA health advisory of 0.3 mg/L (206 of 1,461). Across all tested wells in the US it's about 1 in 7. New York is about average, so the county you live in tells you more than the state does.
Why it matters: High levels over many years may affect the nervous system, and babies are more sensitive to it. It also leaves black stains.
Manganese dissolves out of rock and soil, especially in water with little oxygen.
Manganese in tested wells, county by county
Share of each county's tested wells with at least one result over the EPA health advisory of 0.3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York County | 25 | Widespread | |
| Westchester County | 44 | Widespread | |
| Kings County | 39 | Widespread | |
| Richmond County | 23 | Widespread | |
| Tioga County | 16 | Widespread | |
| Chemung County | 19 | Widespread | |
| Broome County | 31 | Widespread | |
| Orange County | 12 | Widespread | |
| Queens County | 107 | Widespread | |
| Steuben County | 33 | Widespread | |
| Greene County | 10 | Widespread | |
| Schuyler County | 10 | Widespread | |
| Ulster County | 62 | Widespread | |
| Onondaga County | 38 | Widespread | |
| Chenango County | 19 | Widespread | |
| Rensselaer County | 13 | Widespread | |
| Erie County | 22 | Worth checking | |
| Suffolk County | 101 | Worth checking | |
| Hamilton County | 17 | Worth checking | |
| Cattaraugus County | 26 | Worth checking | |
| Schoharie County | 18 | Worth checking | |
| Saratoga County | 40 | Worth checking | |
| Oswego County | 22 | Worth checking | |
| Wayne County | 11 | Worth checking | |
| Nassau County | 45 | Worth checking | |
| Allegany County | 26 | Worth checking | |
| Fulton County | 13 | Worth checking | |
| Ontario County | 15 | Worth checking | |
| Livingston County | 17 | Worth checking | |
| Sullivan County | 17 | Worth checking | |
| Clinton County | 21 | Rare | |
| St. Lawrence County | 43 | Rare | |
| Lewis County | 22 | Rare | |
| Tompkins County | 68 | Rare | |
| Herkimer County | 23 | Rare | |
| Monroe County | 23 | Rare | |
| Chautauqua County | 25 | Rare | |
| Delaware County | 27 | Rare | |
| Essex County | 33 | Rare | |
| Jefferson County | 25 | Rare | |
| Oneida County | 25 | Rare | |
| Warren County | 24 | Rare | |
| Cortland County | 19 | Rare | |
| Franklin County | 17 | Rare | |
| Washington County | 17 | Rare | |
| Madison County | 16 | Rare | |
| Otsego County | 16 | Rare | |
| Wyoming County | 16 | Rare | |
| Cayuga County | 13 | Rare | |
| Albany County | 12 | Rare | |
| Schenectady County | 12 | Rare | |
| Genesee County | 10 | Rare |
* Likely overstated. These shares come from a narrow set of wells, so they probably run high for the county as a whole:
- New York County: All of these tests come from the US Geological Survey between 2006 and 2011, so this likely overstates it.
10 more New York counties have 1 to 9 tested wells for manganese, too few to rate.
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Where to get your well tested for manganese in New York
A lab New York certifies
Ask for manganese by name. Results from a certified lab count for a home sale or a loan.
Labs certified by New YorkA mail-in kit
Fill the bottles at your kitchen tap and mail them back. We mark the kits that include manganese.
Compare kitsKeep reading about wells in New York
- Well water testing in New York: how to get tested and what turns up statewide
- Manganese in well water: where it comes from, what it does and how to remove it
- Nitrate in New York wells, by county
- Arsenic in New York wells, by county
- Uranium in New York wells, by county
- Lead in New York wells, by county
- Radon in New York wells, by county
Questions people ask about manganese in New York
Is there manganese in New York well water?
Manganese is widespread, over the limit in 15% or more of tested wells, in 15 of the 52 New York counties with 10 or more tested wells. 1 more look high, but those results likely overstate it. Across New York, about 1 in 7 tested wells had manganese over the EPA health advisory of 0.3 mg/L (206 of 1,461). Across all tested wells in the US it's about 1 in 7. New York is about average, so the county you live in tells you more than the state does.
Where can I get my well tested for manganese in New York?
Free PFAS testing in New York is limited to a pilot in 6 counties. If that doesn't cover you, use a lab certified by New York for drinking water, or a mail-in kit that includes manganese from a certified lab.
See New York'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 health advisory of 0.3 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 Health.