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 radon in water.
New York's private well pageRadon in New York well water, by county
Radon is worth checking in 6 of the 46 New York counties with 10 or more tested wells, and rare in the rest. 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, under 1 in 50 tested wells had radon in water over 4,000 pCi/L, a level the EPA proposed (17 of 944). Across all tested wells in the US it's about 1 in 24. That's less often than in the country as a whole. Counties still differ, so check yours below.
Why it matters: It escapes into the air when you shower or run the tap, and breathing it raises the risk of lung cancer.
Radon is a gas given off by uranium in granite and similar rock.
Radon in tested wells, county by county
Share of each county's tested wells with at least one result over 4,000 pCi/L, a level the EPA proposed. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinton County | 21 | Worth checking | |
| Warren County | 24 | Worth checking | |
| Hamilton County | 17 | Worth checking | |
| Orange County | 12 | Worth checking | |
| St. Lawrence County | 42 | Worth checking | |
| Sullivan County | 17 | Worth checking | |
| Herkimer County | 23 | Rare | |
| Saratoga County | 39 | Rare | |
| Essex County | 33 | Rare | |
| Steuben County | 33 | Rare | |
| Delaware County | 27 | Rare | |
| Allegany County | 26 | Rare | |
| Cattaraugus County | 26 | Rare | |
| Suffolk County | 26 | Rare | |
| Chautauqua County | 25 | Rare | |
| Oneida County | 25 | Rare | |
| Erie County | 22 | Rare | |
| Lewis County | 22 | Rare | |
| Chemung County | 19 | Rare | |
| Chenango County | 19 | Rare | |
| Jefferson County | 19 | Rare | |
| Schoharie County | 18 | Rare | |
| Franklin County | 17 | Rare | |
| Livingston County | 17 | Rare | |
| Tompkins County | 17 | Rare | |
| Washington County | 17 | Rare | |
| Madison County | 16 | Rare | |
| Monroe County | 16 | Rare | |
| Onondaga County | 16 | Rare | |
| Wyoming County | 16 | Rare | |
| Broome County | 15 | Rare | |
| Ontario County | 15 | Rare | |
| Oswego County | 15 | Rare | |
| Otsego County | 15 | Rare | |
| Ulster County | 15 | Rare | |
| Rensselaer County | 14 | Rare | |
| Fulton County | 13 | Rare | |
| Albany County | 12 | Rare | |
| Cayuga County | 12 | Rare | |
| Cortland County | 12 | Rare | |
| Schenectady County | 12 | Rare | |
| Tioga County | 12 | Rare | |
| Wayne County | 11 | Rare | |
| Genesee County | 10 | Rare | |
| Greene County | 10 | Rare | |
| Schuyler County | 10 | Rare |
11 more New York counties have 1 to 9 tested wells for radon in water, too few to rate.
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Where to get your well tested for radon in water in New York
A lab New York certifies
Ask for radon in water 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 radon in water.
Compare kitsKeep reading about wells in New York
- Well water testing in New York: how to get tested and what turns up statewide
- Radon 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
- Manganese in New York wells, by county
- Lead in New York wells, by county
Questions people ask about radon in water in New York
Is there radon in water in New York well water?
Radon is worth checking in 6 of the 46 New York counties with 10 or more tested wells, and rare in the rest. Across New York, under 1 in 50 tested wells had radon in water over 4,000 pCi/L, a level the EPA proposed (17 of 944). Across all tested wells in the US it's about 1 in 24. That's less often than in the country as a whole. Counties still differ, so check yours below.
Where can I get my well tested for radon in water 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 radon in water 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 4,000 pCi/L, a level the EPA proposed. 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.