Free or low-cost state testing
DANR points well owners to a free private well assessment, including water testing, offered by Midwest Assistance Program.
Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR): private well testingGetting your well water tested in South Dakota
South Dakota has free or low-cost well testing. Across the state, the ones worth testing for are manganese, arsenic, uranium and nitrate, plus bacteria every year.
About 220,000 people in South Dakota get their water from a private well, about 1 in 4 residents.
Three ways to get tested, cheapest first.
A lab South Dakota certifies
The state's list of labs certified for drinking water. Many sell bottles you pick up or get by mail, and their results count for a home sale or loan.
Labs certified by South DakotaA mail-in kit
Order online, fill the bottles at your kitchen tap and get results by email in about a week. Full well tests run about $210 to $220.
Compare kits for South DakotaWhat turns up in South Dakota wells.
Share of tested wells over the limit, from lab tests the USGS, EPA and state agencies collected since 2000. Your own well needs its own test.
Manganese24%29 of 120Arsenic24%29 of 122Uranium7%3 of 41Nitrate5%10 of 192Lead1%1 of 80Fluoride0%0 of 87
GermsTest every year, whatever the chart says
Coliform bacteria38%3 of 8StainsNot a health risk
Iron stains28%31 of 111
Rare: under 5%Worth checking: 5 to 15%Widespread: 15%+
Lab results: Water Quality Portal (USGS and EPA)
Where it shows up most
- Arsenic shows up most in Custer County (about 1 in 3 wells).
Find your county.
4 counties have a full report with local test results and well depths.
No full report for that county yet. The statewide results above still apply, and so do the three ways to get tested.
Every county in South Dakota: people on wells and typical depth
| County | People on private wells | Share of residents | Typical well depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennington County | 15,241 | 14% | 165 ft |
| Minnehaha County | 12,450 | 6% | 109 ft |
| Davison County | 11,164 | 56% | 135 ft |
| Lawrence County | 7,861 | 31% | 220 ft |
| Meade County | 7,776 | 26% | 240 ft |
| Brown County | 7,414 | 19% | 981 ft |
| Oglala Lakota County | 7,411 | 54% | 200 ft |
| Lincoln County | 5,989 | 9% | 160 ft |
| Brookings County | 5,666 | 16% | 60 ft |
| Turner County | 5,447 | 63% | 158 ft |
| Todd County | 5,235 | 56% | 156 ft |
| Custer County | 5,164 | 62% | 215 ft |
| Roberts County | 4,841 | 47% | 110 ft |
| Union County | 4,398 | 26% | 156 ft |
| Charles Mix County | 4,328 | 46% | 620 ft |
| Dewey County | 4,307 | 82% | 92 ft |
| Codington County | 3,997 | 14% | 70 ft |
| Beadle County | 3,898 | 20% | 815 ft |
| Hutchinson County | 3,649 | 49% | 200 ft |
| Yankton County | 3,468 | 15% | 180 ft |
| Day County | 3,387 | 62% | 170 ft |
| Hamlin County | 3,319 | 54% | 64 ft |
| Lake County | 3,244 | 29% | 208 ft |
| Grant County | 3,079 | 41% | 100 ft |
| Corson County | 3,011 | 77% | 170 ft |
| Butte County | 2,850 | 28% | 375 ft |
| Moody County | 2,754 | 43% | 30 ft |
| Hanson County | 2,730 | 79% | 210 ft |
| Hand County | 2,636 | 84% | 1,050 ft |
| Marshall County | 2,614 | 61% | 715 ft |
| Spink County | 2,542 | 40% | 926 ft |
| Edmunds County | 2,475 | 62% | 1,210 ft |
| Perkins County | 2,474 | 87% | 210 ft |
| Aurora County | 2,409 | 88% | 321 ft |
| Hughes County | 2,407 | 14% | 150 ft |
| McCook County | 2,387 | 42% | 192 ft |
| Fall River County | 2,271 | 33% | 270 ft |
| Deuel County | 2,221 | 52% | 78 ft |
| Potter County | 2,186 | 88% | 132 ft |
| Clay County | 2,181 | 15% | 129 ft |
| Clark County | 2,086 | 54% | 210 ft |
| Tripp County | 2,072 | 37% | 140 ft |
| Brule County | 2,013 | 38% | 920 ft |
| Bon Homme County | 1,966 | 28% | 250 ft |
| Lyman County | 1,926 | 52% | 1,241 ft |
| Kingsbury County | 1,906 | 37% | 932 ft |
| Gregory County | 1,890 | 47% | 80 ft |
| Douglas County | 1,889 | 67% | 394 ft |
| Bennett County | 1,877 | 56% | 125 ft |
| Ziebach County | 1,705 | 71% | 170 ft |
| Haakon County | 1,688 | 90% | 2,000 ft |
| Jackson County | 1,680 | 60% | 122 ft |
| Sanborn County | 1,638 | 70% | 200 ft |
| Mellette County | 1,565 | 82% | 168 ft |
| Sully County | 1,261 | 87% | 158 ft |
| Miner County | 1,214 | 53% | 250 ft |
| Campbell County | 1,203 | 87% | 100 ft |
| Hyde County | 1,185 | 94% | 1,338 ft |
| Walworth County | 1,085 | 20% | 72 ft |
| Harding County | 1,018 | 78% | 200 ft |
| Faulk County | 931 | 44% | 1,114 ft |
| Buffalo County | 885 | 45% | 915 ft |
| McPherson County | 790 | 33% | 212 ft |
| Stanley County | 735 | 25% | 1,605 ft |
| Jerauld County | 707 | 43% | 170 ft |
| Jones County | 392 | 43% | 2,262 ft |
Questions people ask about well water in South Dakota
Does South Dakota require private wells to be tested?
South Dakota doesn't require routine testing of existing private wells. Keeping a well safe is up to the owner, so test for bacteria and nitrate every year.
Where can I get my well water tested in South Dakota?
DANR points well owners to a free private well assessment, including water testing, offered by Midwest Assistance Program. Otherwise, use a lab certified by South Dakota for drinking water. The state's list is linked on this page.
Where these numbers come from
- How many people use wells: EPA estimates from the 2020 Census.
- Lab tests: Water Quality Portal (USGS and EPA), well samples since 2000.
- State programs and links: Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR).