Low-cost state testing
Virginia Cooperative Extension runs well water clinics in about 70 counties a year, at $70 a kit. Check which tests it includes before you count on it for manganese.
Virginia's private well pageManganese in Virginia well water, by county
Manganese is widespread, over the limit in 15% or more of tested wells, in 2 of the 13 Virginia 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 Virginia compares with the rest of the country
Across Virginia, about 1 in 10 tested wells had manganese over the EPA health advisory of 0.3 mg/L (44 of 452). 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%.
| County | Wells tested | Wells over the limit | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prince William County | 13 | Widespread | |
| James City County | 31 | Widespread | |
| Fairfax County | 10 | Widespread | |
| Chesapeake city | 27 | Worth checking | |
| Virginia Beach city | 78 | Worth checking | |
| Northampton County | 26 | Worth checking | |
| Suffolk city | 18 | Worth checking | |
| Accomack County | 36 | Rare | |
| Rockingham County | 13 | Rare | |
| Newport News city | 12 | Rare | |
| Sussex County | 12 | Rare | |
| Clarke County | 11 | Rare | |
| Northumberland County | 11 | Rare |
* Likely overstated. These shares come from a narrow set of wells, so they probably run high for the county as a whole:
- Prince William County: Almost all of these tests come from the US Geological Survey in one small part of the county, so this likely overstates it.
61 more Virginia 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 Virginia
A lab Virginia certifies
Ask for manganese by name. Results from a certified lab count for a home sale or a loan.
Labs certified by VirginiaA 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 Virginia
- Well water testing in Virginia: 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 Virginia wells, by county
- Arsenic in Virginia wells, by county
- Lead in Virginia wells, by county
Questions people ask about manganese in Virginia
Is there manganese in Virginia well water?
Manganese is widespread, over the limit in 15% or more of tested wells, in 2 of the 13 Virginia counties with 10 or more tested wells. 1 more look high, but those results likely overstate it. Across Virginia, about 1 in 10 tested wells had manganese over the EPA health advisory of 0.3 mg/L (44 of 452). 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 Virginia?
Virginia Cooperative Extension runs well water clinics in about 70 counties a year, at $70 a kit. If that doesn't cover you, use a lab certified by Virginia for drinking water, or a mail-in kit that includes manganese from a certified lab.
See Virginia'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 Health (VDH), Office of Environmental Health Services.