Manganese is widespread in Wake County wells.
1 widespread, 2 likely overstated, 1 worth checking, 3 rare out of 7 health checks.
From 38 wells tested in Wake County since 2001; your own well needs its own test. How to read this
*Nitrate: All of these tests come from the US Geological Survey between 2001 and 2007, so this likely overstates it.
*Radon: All of these tests come from the US Geological Survey between 2001 and 2007 in one small part of the county, so this likely overstates it.
*Uranium: All of these tests come from the US Geological Survey between 2002 and 2005 in one small part of the county, so this likely overstates it.
Rare: under 5%Worth checking: 5 to 15%Widespread: 15%+
Lab results: Water Quality Portal (USGS and EPA)
Who drinks from a well here
1 in 11 people 106,361 people
Nobody else tests these wells. Only you do.
People on wells: EPA researchers' 2020 estimate
Radon risk (a gas from rock)
Possible here. A home air test is inexpensive.
Radon zones: EPA map
Here's how Wake County compares with North Carolina and the counties around it.
Each result puts Wake County next to the 7 counties that border it, on the chart's 0 to 50% scale.
This one is widespread in Wake County wells.
Manganese9 of 37 wells over
These 2 have turned up often here, mostly in older study samples.
Nitrate14 of 23 wells over
All of these tests come from the US Geological Survey between 2001 and 2007, so this likely overstates it.
Radon in water9 of 16 wells over
All of these tests come from the US Geological Survey between 2001 and 2007 in one small part of the county, so this likely overstates it.
This one is worth checking in Wake County.
Uranium1 of 11 wells over
All of these tests come from the US Geological Survey between 2002 and 2005 in one small part of the county, so this likely overstates it.
These 3 are rare in Wake County.
Lead0 of 11 wells over
Arsenic0 of 19 wells over
Fluoride0 of 22 wells over
Coliform bacteria turned up in 7 of 11 tested Wake County wells, so test for it every year.
Coliform bacteria7 of 11 wells had it
E. coli0 of 11 wells had it
E. coli means human or animal waste is getting in, so if a test of your Wake County well finds it, boil drinking water until the well is fixed.
Iron reached staining levels in 9 of 37 tested wells, and it isn't a health risk.
Iron stains9 of 37 wells had it
Most of the 38 wells tested in Wake County were last tested before 2010.
An old result shows the water as it was then, so treat these 38 wells as a starting point and test your own.
Most Wake 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 6 things to check in Wake County.
- Bacteria
- Nitrate
- Radon in water
- Manganese
- Uranium
- Arsenic
What North Carolina offers well owners
- Free testingWe didn't find a free program for all of North Carolina. North Carolina's private well page
- Certified labsNorth Carolina's list of certified labs
- Well recordsNorth Carolina's well record search
- New wellsAll newly constructed private wells must be tested for bacterial and chemical contaminants within 30 days of completion by the State Laboratory of Public Health or a state-certified lab.
Here's what we know about radon and PFAS in Wake County.
Wake County is in the EPA's middle radon zone. An indoor air test is cheap and tells you whether to look at your water. Radon guide
Between 2023 and 2025 the EPA had 7 town water systems in Wake County test for PFAS. 4 of them had at least one test above 4 ng/L, the new EPA limit for PFOA and PFOS. The highest single result was 21 ng/L of PFOS. No well in Wake 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
Questions people ask about well water in Wake County
Is well water in Wake County safe to drink?
14 of 23 wells tested in Wake County had nitrate over the limit, about 6 in 10. Across North Carolina it's about 1 in 10. We don't rank this against other North Carolina counties, because most of these tests are old study samples. All of these tests come from the US Geological Survey between 2001 and 2007, so this likely overstates it. So test your own well for nitrate before you count on it.
Where can I get my well tested in Wake County?
Use a lab North Carolina has certified for drinking water. North Carolina's list is linked above, in the box about testing. Ask for bacteria, nitrate, radon in water, manganese, uranium and arsenic, the tests that matter most in Wake County.
How often should I test my well in Wake County?
In Wake County, 7 of 11 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 Wake County numbers come from
- People on wells: 106,361 in Wake County, from EPA estimates built on the 2020 Census (Murray et al.).
- Lab tests: 425 well water samples from 38 wells in the Water Quality Portal, run by the USGS and EPA, 2001 to 2019.
- Neighboring counties: the 7 counties that share a border with Wake County, from the Census Bureau's county adjacency file.
- Results marked likely overstated: our own check of who tested the wells, when and where.
- PFAS: EPA tests of 7 town water systems in Wake County under the Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 2023 to 2025.
- Radon: Wake County is zone 2 on the EPA Map of Radon Zones.
- State programs and links: Department of Health and Human Services, checked November 1, 2026.