Your county health department
North Dakota doesn't run a statewide free testing program that we know of. Some county health departments test wells or sell kits, so call yours first.
North Dakota's private well pageManganese in North Dakota well water, by county
Manganese is widespread, over the limit in 15% or more of tested wells, in 8 of the 11 North Dakota 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 North Dakota compares with the rest of the country
Across North Dakota, about 4 in 10 tested wells had manganese over the EPA health advisory of 0.3 mg/L (159 of 370). Across all tested wells in the US it's about 1 in 7. So manganese turns up in North Dakota wells about 3 times as often as in the country as a whole, and a test is worth adding even if your county isn't on the list below.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ransom County | 10 | Widespread | |
| Williams County | 13 | Widespread | |
| Rolette County | 15 | Widespread | |
| Benson County | 86 | Widespread | |
| Eddy County | 26 | Widespread | |
| Mountrail County | 42 | Widespread | |
| McLean County | 11 | Widespread | |
| Morton County | 12 | Widespread | |
| McKenzie County | 14 | Widespread | |
| Dunn County | 20 | Worth checking | |
| Sioux County | 21 | Rare |
* Likely overstated. These shares come from a narrow set of wells, so they probably run high for the county as a whole:
- Rolette County: All of these tests come from the US Geological Survey in one small part of the county, so this likely overstates it.
36 more North Dakota 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 North Dakota
A lab North Dakota certifies
Ask for manganese by name. Results from a certified lab count for a home sale or a loan.
Labs certified by North DakotaA 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 North Dakota
- Well water testing in North Dakota: 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 North Dakota wells, by county
- Arsenic in North Dakota wells, by county
- Lead in North Dakota wells, by county
Questions people ask about manganese in North Dakota
Is there manganese in North Dakota well water?
Manganese is widespread, over the limit in 15% or more of tested wells, in 8 of the 11 North Dakota counties with 10 or more tested wells. 1 more look high, but those results likely overstate it. Across North Dakota, about 4 in 10 tested wells had manganese over the EPA health advisory of 0.3 mg/L (159 of 370). Across all tested wells in the US it's about 1 in 7. So manganese turns up in North Dakota wells about 3 times as often as in the country as a whole, and a test is worth adding even if your county isn't on the list below.
Where can I get my well tested for manganese in North Dakota?
Use a lab certified by North Dakota for drinking water, or a mail-in kit that includes manganese from a certified lab. Some county health departments test wells too, so call yours first.
See North Dakota'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 Environmental Quality.