Well water testing in Reno County, Kansas

What to test for in Reno County

Private wells are not regulated like public water: EPA advises owners to test their well every year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH. Your state's own schedule:

• The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and K-State Research and Extension recommend annual water tests for coliform bacteria and nitrate. Testing for common impurities and nuisance contaminants is recommended every one to three years, with possible extra testing after chemical spills or flooding. source
• K-State lists situations that suggest special or more frequent bacteria tests: flooding near the well, a well near confined livestock pens, a change in water color, turbidity, odor or taste, recurring digestive illness in people or animals, and after repair of the well or plumbing. source
• K-State's well maintenance guide recommends testing private wells annually at a minimum; annual maintenance should include testing for coliform bacteria, nitrate, pH and total dissolved solids. source

Arsenic. USGS estimates that about 635 people using private wells in Reno County had arsenic above 10 µg/L, EPA's limit for public water (2010 base year; 95% range 501 to 812). USGS describes this kind of estimate as useful "for broad screening of the population at risk", so it says nothing certain about any one well. Arsenic has no taste or smell: test for it by name.

Radon. EPA puts Reno County in Zone 2: moderate potential (average indoor radon may be between 2 and 4 pCi/L). That map is about radon in indoor air, and EPA says it should not be used to decide whether an individual home needs testing. If radon is found in your air and you have a well, EPA suggests testing the water too: see radon in well water.

For anything specific to your home (farms nearby, old plumbing, a new baby, a smell or stain), use the which-tests checklist. When the results arrive, check your numbers against EPA's limits.

PFAS in public water near Reno County (public supply, not your well)

Under EPA’s fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5), public water systems sampled their water for 29 PFAS between Jan 3, 2023 and Jun 17, 2026. 1 public system that serve ZIP codes mainly in Reno County reported results. 0 of them had at least one sample with PFOA or PFOS at or above 4.0 ng/L, and 0 had at least one of the 29 PFAS measured at or above its reporting level.

4.0 ng/L (parts per trillion) is both EPA’s UCMR 5 reporting level for PFOA and PFOS and the number in EPA’s 2024 limit for public water. That limit is judged on a running annual average, so one sample at that level is not a violation. EPA proposed changes to its PFAS rules in May 2026: see PFAS in well water for the current status and who should test a well. To test your own well, find a lab certified for PFAS.

Method: a system counts for this county when it reports serving a ZIP code whose largest land part is in this county, so a system serving several counties counts in each. Source: U.S. EPA, UCMR 5 occurrence data (by state), file dated Oct 15, 2026; downloaded Nov 1, 2026.

Testing programs and help in Kansas

• Water test kits are available at most local K-State Research and Extension offices, and local health or environmental offices may have kits too. Help understanding a test report may be available from the testing lab, your county health or environmental office, KDHE or K-State Research and Extension. source

Buying a home with a well in Reno County

State-certified labs in Reno County

None of the labs on our Kansas list has an address in Reno County. Labs elsewhere in the state may take samples by mail or courier: ask the lab, and check the hold time for bacteria before you send one.

Labs on the Kansas list whose own websites say they take homeowner samples: Johnson County Water Quality Laboratory (Olathe). Use Check my ZIP to sort labs by distance.

See all Kansas labs in the finder and filter by the test you need and by labs that take homeowner samples.