Be "well" informed about your drinking water
News Release
March 12, 2026
Drinking contaminated water can, over time, result in serious illness or even death. That’s why during National Groundwater Awareness Week, March 8-14, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is reminding private well owners that regular testing is recommended to ensure the safety of drinking water.
“Testing your drinking water is the only way to know how safe it is,” said MDH Water Policy Manager Tannie Eshenaur. “You can’t taste, smell or see most contaminants."
The five most common contaminants of health concern in Minnesota are nitrate, coliform bacteria, arsenic, lead and manganese. MDH recommends using an accredited laboratory to test for nitrate and coliform bacteria every year and for arsenic, lead and manganese at least once. To find an accredited laboratory near you, visit Search for Accredited Laboratories on the MDH website.
If testing identifies any contaminants, treatment options can include:
- Installing point-of-use or whole-home filters, such as reverse osmosis or a water softener.
- Repairing cracks where contaminants are entering the well.
- Building a new well.
People in southeast Minnesota with a private well should pay special attention to testing their well. Porous geology makes southeast Minnesota uniquely susceptible to groundwater contamination from agricultural runoff, wastewater and faulty septic systems, especially as extreme weather events brought on by climate change continue to put additional pressure on groundwater resources.
With funding from the Clean Water Land and Legacy Amendment, free, local, certified testing is available at Request a Private Well Test Kit, while supplies last, to private well users in Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Wabasha and Winona counties as part of MDH’s new Well Tested? Well Done SE Minnesota campaign.
Recent test results from those eight counties in southeast Minnesota showed that around 40% of households had lead in their drinking water, and around 9% had nitrate above the federal drinking water standard.
More information can be found on MDH’s Well Testing, Results, and Options webpage.
-MDH-
For more information, contact:
Amy Barrett
MDH Communications
651-201-4993
Amy.Barrett@state.mn.us
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
