Use a lab Utah certifies, or a mail-in kit. Across the state, the ones worth testing for are arsenic, manganese and nitrate, plus bacteria every year.
About 82,000 people in Utah get their water from a private well, about 1 in 40 residents.
Utah doesn't run a statewide free testing program that we know of. Some county health departments still test wells or sell kits, so call yours first.
Department of Health and Human Services (Utah Public Health Laboratory) and local health departments: private well testingThe 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 UtahOrder 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 UtahShare 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.
Rare: under 5%Worth checking: 5 to 15%Widespread: 15%+
Lab results: Water Quality Portal (USGS and EPA)
5 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.
| County | People on private wells | Share of residents | Typical well depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah County | 11,159 | 2% | – |
| Iron County | 10,792 | 19% | – |
| San Juan County | 8,229 | 57% | – |
| Salt Lake County | 7,394 | under 1% | – |
| Summit County | 5,714 | 13% | – |
| Cache County | 5,468 | 4% | – |
| Tooele County | 4,112 | 6% | – |
| Weber County | 3,968 | 2% | – |
| Sanpete County | 3,533 | 12% | – |
| Morgan County | 3,201 | 26% | – |
| Uintah County | 2,799 | 8% | – |
| Millard County | 2,754 | 21% | – |
| Sevier County | 1,933 | 9% | – |
| Box Elder County | 1,703 | 3% | – |
| Wasatch County | 1,403 | 4% | – |
| Washington County | 1,325 | under 1% | – |
| Juab County | 1,084 | 9% | – |
| Rich County | 891 | 35% | – |
| Beaver County | 870 | 12% | – |
| Garfield County | 741 | 15% | – |
| Grand County | 648 | 7% | – |
| Duchesne County | 500 | 3% | – |
| Emery County | 456 | 5% | – |
| Wayne County | 433 | 17% | – |
| Davis County | 428 | under 1% | – |
| Kane County | 375 | 5% | – |
| Piute County | 137 | 10% | – |
| Carbon County | 124 | under 1% | – |
| Daggett County | 106 | 11% | – |
Utah 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.
Otherwise, use a lab certified by Utah for drinking water. The state's list is linked on this page.