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Manganese in Pennsylvania well water, by county

By the Tested Water teamLab data from the USGS and EPA Water Quality Portal, 2000 to 2023Updated November 8, 2026

Manganese is widespread, over the limit in 15% or more of tested wells, in 2 of the 20 Pennsylvania counties with 10 or more tested wells. 2 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.

Find a manganese test See every county

How Pennsylvania compares with the rest of the country

Across Pennsylvania, about 1 in 11 tested wells had manganese over the EPA health advisory of 0.3 mg/L (97 of 1,038). Across all tested wells in the US it's about 1 in 7. That's less often than in the country as a whole. Counties still differ, so check yours 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%.

CountyWells testedWells over the limitLevel
Franklin County 19
53%* 10 of 19
 Widespread
Somerset County 19
26% 5 of 19
 Widespread
Lancaster County 43
21%* 9 of 43
 Widespread
Sullivan County 24
21% 5 of 24
 Widespread
Pike County 95
15% 14 of 95
 Worth checking
Berks County 29
14% 4 of 29
 Worth checking
Clinton County 55
13% 7 of 55
 Worth checking
Potter County 48
12% 6 of 48
 Worth checking
Dauphin County 37
11% 4 of 37
 Worth checking
Bradford County 88
10% 9 of 88
 Worth checking
Wyoming County 11
9% 1 of 11
 Worth checking
Northumberland County 24
8% 2 of 24
 Worth checking
Susquehanna County 24
8% 2 of 24
 Worth checking
Montgomery County 31
6% 2 of 31
 Worth checking
Bucks County 32
6% 2 of 32
 Worth checking
Lycoming County 83
2% 2 of 83
 Rare
Wayne County 128
1% 1 of 128
 Rare
Chester County 131
1% 1 of 131
 Rare
Schuylkill County 11
0% 0 of 11
 Rare
Tioga County 10
0% 0 of 10
 Rare

* Likely overstated. These shares come from a narrow set of wells, so they probably run high for the county as a whole:

  • Franklin County: Almost all of these tests come from the US Geological Survey in one small part of the county, so this likely overstates it.
  • Lancaster County: All of these tests come from the US Geological Survey in one small part of the county, so it may not match the rest of the county.

35 more Pennsylvania counties have 1 to 9 tested wells for manganese, too few to rate.

Download this table (CSV) ยท Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0

Where to get your well tested for manganese in Pennsylvania

1

Your county health department

Pennsylvania 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.

Pennsylvania's private well page
3

A mail-in kit

Fill the bottles at your kitchen tap and mail them back. We mark the kits that include manganese.

Compare kits

Keep reading about wells in Pennsylvania

Questions people ask about manganese in Pennsylvania

Is there manganese in Pennsylvania well water?

Manganese is widespread, over the limit in 15% or more of tested wells, in 2 of the 20 Pennsylvania counties with 10 or more tested wells. 2 more look high, but those results likely overstate it. Across Pennsylvania, about 1 in 11 tested wells had manganese over the EPA health advisory of 0.3 mg/L (97 of 1,038). Across all tested wells in the US it's about 1 in 7. 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 manganese in Pennsylvania?

Use a lab certified by Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania's list of certified labs (a PDF list), 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 Protection.