Health problems are rare in tested Accomack County wells.
All 6 health checks came back rare here.
From 44 wells tested in Accomack County since 2001; your own well needs its own test. How to read this
Not charted, because fewer than 10 wells were tested: radon (4).
Rare: under 5%Worth checking: 5 to 15%Widespread: 15%+
Lab results: Water Quality Portal (USGS and EPA)
Who drinks from a well here
7 in 10 people 24,503 people
Nobody else tests these wells. Only you do.
People on wells: EPA researchers' 2020 estimate
How deep wells go here
Deep wells: fewer surface germs, more minerals from the rock.
Well depths: US Groundwater Well Database
Radon risk (a gas from rock)
Less likely, but the EPA still says test your air.
Radon zones: EPA map
Here's how Accomack County compares with Virginia and the counties around it.
Each result puts Accomack County next to the 7 counties that border it, on the chart's 0 to 50% scale.
All 6 health checks are rare in Accomack County.
Nitrate2 of 42 wells over
Too few tested to show: Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Northumberland, Somerset, MD.
Manganese0 of 36 wells over
Too few tested to show: Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Somerset, MD.
Fluoride0 of 44 wells over
Too few tested to show: Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Somerset, MD.
Arsenic0 of 25 wells over
Too few tested to show: Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Northumberland, Somerset, MD.
Uranium0 of 25 wells over
Too few tested to show: Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Northumberland, Somerset, MD, Worcester, MD.
Lead0 of 21 wells over
Too few tested to show: Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Northumberland, Somerset, MD, Worcester, MD.
Too few Accomack County wells were tested for this one.
Radon in water4 wells tested
None of the 2 Accomack County wells tested for bacteria had it, but every well needs a yearly test.
Coliform bacteria0 of 2 wells had it
E. coli0 of 2 wells had it
E. coli means human or animal waste is getting in, so if a test of your Accomack County well finds it, boil drinking water until the well is fixed.
Iron reached staining levels in 5 of 36 tested wells, and it isn't a health risk.
Iron stains5 of 36 wells had it
Too few tested to show: Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Somerset, MD.
Most of the 44 wells tested in Accomack County were last tested before 2010.
An old result shows the water as it was then, so treat these 44 wells as a starting point and test your own.
Most Accomack 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 3 things to check in Accomack County.
- Bacteria
- Nitrate
- Arsenic
What Virginia offers well owners
- Free testingVirginia Cooperative Extension's Virginia Household Water Quality Program runs drinking water clinics in about 70 counties each year at $70 per kit, with financial help available through SERCAP. See the program
- Certified labsVirginia's list of certified labs
- Well recordsWe didn't find an online search.
- New wellsVirginia's Private Well Regulations (12VAC5-630) require newly constructed wells to be tested for coliform bacteria as a condition for use; testing at home purchase is not required by VDH.
Half the wells on record here are shallower than 180 feet.
That comes from 1,693 wells in Virginia's drilling records. Most wells of every kind here are 130 to 240 feet deep. Wells as deep as Accomack County's are usually better protected from fertilizer and bacteria at the surface, but they can pick up more of what's in the rock, like arsenic and uranium. Typical wells on record here are shallower than in 77 of the 102 other Virginia counties with enough drilling records.
How to find your own well's depth
Well depths: US Groundwater Well Database
Here's what we know about radon and PFAS in Accomack County.
Accomack County is in the EPA's lowest radon zone, so radon from well water is unlikely to be a problem. Radon guide
Between 2023 and 2025 the EPA had 2 town water systems in Accomack County test for PFAS. None found any. No well in Accomack 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 Accomack County
Is well water in Accomack County safe to drink?
Most tested wells in Accomack County came in under the limits. Of 6 health checks with enough tests, nitrate came closest, at 2 of 42 wells over. Every well is different, so test yours for bacteria, nitrate and arsenic.
Can I get my well tested for free in Accomack County?
Virginia Cooperative Extension's Virginia Household Water Quality Program runs drinking water clinics in about 70 counties each year at $70 per kit, with financial help available through SERCAP. If not, use a lab Virginia has certified for drinking water. Ask for bacteria, nitrate and arsenic, the tests that matter most in Accomack County.
How deep are wells in Accomack County?
Half the wells on record here are shallower than 180 feet. Typical wells on record here are shallower than in 77 of the 102 other Virginia counties with enough drilling records.
How does Accomack County compare with the counties around it?
For nitrate, the share of tested wells over the limit: 2 of the 2 neighboring counties with data had a higher share than Accomack County, at 5%. Worcester, MD had the most, at 7%. Groundwater doesn't stop at county lines, so Worcester, MD's 7% is worth knowing about if you live near it.
How often should I test my well in Accomack County?
None of the 2 wells tested for bacteria in Accomack County had it, but the CDC still says to test for bacteria and nitrate every year, and right away after a flood, a repair, or any change in taste or smell.
If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission. We'd recommend the same thing either way, and we'll tell you when a free option exists. How we make money
Where the Accomack County numbers come from
- People on wells: 24,503 in Accomack County, from EPA estimates built on the 2020 Census (Murray et al.).
- Lab tests: 314 well water samples from 44 wells in the Water Quality Portal, run by the USGS and EPA, 2001 to 2026.
- Well depths: 13 Virginia drilling records for Accomack County, gathered in the US Groundwater Well Database (Lin and others, 2024).
- Neighboring counties: the 7 counties that share a border with Accomack County, from the Census Bureau's county adjacency file.
- PFAS: EPA tests of 2 town water systems in Accomack County under the Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 2023 to 2025.
- Radon: Accomack County is zone 3 on the EPA Map of Radon Zones.
- State programs and links: Department of Health (VDH), Office of Environmental Health Services, checked November 1, 2026.