Tested Water

Manganese is widespread in Ulster County wells.

1 widespread, 1 worth checking, 5 rare out of 7 health checks.

From 62 wells tested in Ulster County since 2006; your own well needs its own test. How to read this

Tested wells over the limit UlsterNew York

Rare: under 5%Worth checking: 5 to 15%Widespread: 15%+

Lab results: Water Quality Portal (USGS and EPA)

Who drinks from a well here

5 in 10 people 90,938 people

Nobody else tests these wells. Only you do.

People on wells: EPA researchers' 2020 estimate

How deep wells go here

260 ft Near the surface: fertilizer, germs Deeper: arsenic, uranium from rock 500 ft

Deep wells: fewer surface germs, more minerals from the rock.

Well depths: US Groundwater Well Database

Radon risk (a gas from rock)

Likely here. Test your home's air first.

Radon zones: EPA map

Here's how Ulster County compares with New York and the counties around it.

Each result puts Ulster County next to the 6 counties that border it, on the chart's 0 to 50% scale.

This one is widespread in Ulster County wells.

Manganese10 of 62 wells over

About 2 in 10 wells tested here from 2006 to 2021 were over the EPA health advisory of 0.3 mg/L, against about 1 in 7 across New York. Half the results were under 0.046 mg/L, and the top 1 in 10 were 0.51 mg/L or more. That's a bigger share than in 39 of the 50 other New York counties with 10 or more tested wells, leaving out 1 county whose results are likely overstated.

Ulster and its neighbors
Greene20%
Ulster16%
Delaware4%

Too few tested to show: Columbia, Dutchess.

This one is worth checking in Ulster County.

Arsenic4 of 62 wells over

About 1 in 16 wells tested here from 2006 to 2021 were over the EPA limit of 10 µg/L, against about 1 in 28 across New York. At least half the results were too low for the lab to measure, and the top 1 in 10 were 6.3 µg/L or more. That's a bigger share than in 40 of the 49 other New York counties with 10 or more tested wells.

Ulster and its neighbors
Greene10%
Ulster6%
Delaware0%

Too few tested to show: Columbia, Dutchess.

These 5 are rare in Ulster County.

Nitrate0 of 61 wells over

None of the 61 wells tested here from 2006 to 2021 were over the EPA limit of 10 mg/L, against about 1 in 35 across New York. At least half the results were too low for the lab to measure, and the top 1 in 10 were 0.64 mg/L or more. Ulster County had none, while 9 of the 51 other New York counties with 10 or more tested wells had at least one.

Ulster and its neighbors
Delaware0%
Greene0%
Ulster0%

Too few tested to show: Columbia, Dutchess.

Lead0 of 62 wells over

None of the 62 wells tested here from 2006 to 2021 were over the EPA action level of 15 µg/L, against about 1 in 40 across New York. At least half the results were too low for the lab to measure, and the top 1 in 10 were 0.31 µg/L or more. Ulster County had none, while 3 of the 51 other New York counties with 10 or more tested wells had at least one.

Ulster and its neighbors
Delaware0%
Greene0%
Ulster0%

Too few tested to show: Columbia, Dutchess.

Radon in water0 of 15 wells over

None of the 15 wells tested here from 2006 to 2018 were over 4,000 pCi/L, a level the EPA proposed, against under 1 in 50 across New York. Half the results were under 79 pCi/L, and the top 1 in 10 were 1,140 pCi/L or more. Ulster County had none, while 7 of the 45 other New York counties with 10 or more tested wells had at least one.

Ulster and its neighbors
Delaware0%
Greene0%
Ulster0%

Too few tested to show: Columbia, Dutchess.

Uranium0 of 62 wells over

None of the 62 wells tested here from 2006 to 2021 were over the EPA limit of 30 µg/L, against under 1 in 100 across New York. Half the results were under 0.23 µg/L, and the top 1 in 10 were 1.1 µg/L or more. Ulster County had none, while 3 of the 46 other New York counties with 10 or more tested wells had at least one.

Ulster and its neighbors
Delaware0%
Greene0%
Ulster0%

Too few tested to show: Columbia, Dutchess.

Fluoride0 of 62 wells over

None of the 62 wells tested here from 2006 to 2021 were over the EPA limit of 4 mg/L, against under 1 in 100 across New York. Half the results were under 0.1 mg/L, and the top 1 in 10 were 0.34 mg/L or more. Ulster County had none, while 2 of the 51 other New York counties with 10 or more tested wells had at least one.

Ulster and its neighbors
Delaware0%
Greene0%
Ulster0%

Too few tested to show: Columbia, Dutchess.

Coliform bacteria turned up in 3 of 15 tested Ulster County wells, so test for it every year.

Coliform bacteria3 of 15 wells had it

3 of 15 wells tested here from 2006 to 2018 had coliform bacteria, against about 1 in 4 across New York.

Ulster and its neighbors
Delaware27%
Greene20%
Ulster20%

Too few tested to show: Columbia, Dutchess.

E. coli1 of 15 wells had it

1 of 15 wells tested here from 2006 to 2018 had E. coli, against about 1 in 26 across New York.

Ulster and its neighbors
Ulster7%
Delaware6%
Greene0%

Too few tested to show: Columbia, Dutchess.

E. coli means human or animal waste is getting in, so if a test of your Ulster County well finds it, boil drinking water until the well is fixed.

Iron reached staining levels in 21 of 62 tested wells, and it isn't a health risk.

Iron stains21 of 62 wells had it

About 1 in 3 wells tested here from 2006 to 2021 had enough iron to stain (0.3 mg/L), against about 4 in 10 across New York.

Ulster and its neighbors
Ulster34%
Delaware11%
Greene10%

Too few tested to show: Columbia, Dutchess.

Ulster County has 62 tested wells, and the busiest decade for testing was the 2010s.

14 wells had a test in the 2000s, 51 in the 2010s and 3 since 2020.

Only 3 of the 62 wells have a test from 2020 or later, so a fresh test of your own well tells you more than any of these.

Most Ulster County wells in these records were tested for research or because someone suspected a problem, which can push the shares above what a typical home well would show (how we read the numbers).

One mail-in lab test covers the 4 things to check in Ulster County.

  • Bacteria
  • Nitrate
  • Manganese
  • Arsenic

What New York offers well owners

Half the household wells here are shallower than 260 feet.

That comes from 7,140 household wells in New York's drilling records. Most wells of every kind here are 190 to 380 feet deep. Wells as deep as Ulster County's are usually better protected from fertilizer and bacteria at the surface, but they can pick up more of what's in the rock, like arsenic and uranium. Typical household wells here go deeper than in 43 of the 56 other New York counties with enough drilling records.

Look up your own well's depth in New York's well record search, or see how to find it.

Well depths: US Groundwater Well Database

Here's what we know about radon and PFAS in Ulster County.

Ulster County is in the EPA's highest radon zone. Radon from well water adds to the radon in your indoor air, so test your air first, and your water too if the air is high. Radon guide

Between 2023 and 2025 the EPA had 10 town water systems in Ulster County test for PFAS. 1 of them had at least one test above 4 ng/L, the new EPA limit for PFOA and PFOS. The highest single result was 4.6 ng/L of PFOA. No well in Ulster County has public PFAS results, so the town systems are the best clue to what's in the groundwater nearby. PFAS guide

Radon zones: EPA Map of Radon Zones. PFAS: EPA tests of town water systems, 2023 to 2025

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Questions people ask about well water in Ulster County

Is well water in Ulster County safe to drink?

10 of 62 wells tested in Ulster County had manganese over the limit, about 2 in 10. Across New York it's about 1 in 7. That's a bigger share than in 39 of the 50 other New York counties with 10 or more tested wells, leaving out 1 county whose results are likely overstated. So test your own well for manganese before you count on it.

Can I get my well tested for free in Ulster County?

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. If not, use a lab New York has certified for drinking water. Ask for bacteria, nitrate, manganese and arsenic, the tests that matter most in Ulster County.

How deep are wells in Ulster County?

Half the household wells here are shallower than 260 feet. Typical household wells here go deeper than in 43 of the 56 other New York counties with enough drilling records.

How does Ulster County compare with the counties around it?

For manganese, the share of tested wells over the limit: 2 of the 4 neighboring counties with data had a higher share than Ulster County, at 16%. Orange had the most, at 25%. Groundwater doesn't stop at county lines, so Orange's 25% is worth knowing about if you live near it.

How often should I test my well in Ulster County?

In Ulster County, 3 of 15 tested wells had coliform bacteria, so the CDC's advice matters here: test for bacteria and nitrate every year, and right away after a flood, a repair, or any change in taste or smell.

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Where the Ulster County numbers come from

  • People on wells: 90,938 in Ulster County, from EPA estimates built on the 2020 Census (Murray et al.).
  • Lab tests: 609 well water samples from 62 wells in the Water Quality Portal, run by the USGS and EPA, 2006 to 2021.
  • Well depths: 7,140 New York drilling records for Ulster County, gathered in the US Groundwater Well Database (Lin and others, 2024).
  • Neighboring counties: the 6 counties that share a border with Ulster County, from the Census Bureau's county adjacency file.
  • PFAS: EPA tests of 10 town water systems in Ulster County under the Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 2023 to 2025.
  • Radon: Ulster County is zone 1 on the EPA Map of Radon Zones.
  • State programs and links: Department of Health, checked November 1, 2026.
One lab test covers what to check in Ulster CountyFind a lab test