Well water testing in McCreary County, Kentucky

What to test for in McCreary 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 Kentucky Division of Water says well owners should have their well water tested every year for bacteria. It lists other reasons to test: a change in the water's taste, odor or appearance, recurring stomach illness in the household, a pregnancy or new infant in the home, a dangerous contaminant in a neighbor's water, and checking how well home treatment equipment works. source

Arsenic. USGS estimates that about 9 people using private wells in McCreary County had arsenic above 10 µg/L, EPA's limit for public water (2010 base year; 95% range 7 to 12). 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 McCreary 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 McCreary 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 McCreary County reported results. 0 of them had at least one sample with PFOA or PFOS at or above 4.0 ng/L, and 1 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 Kentucky

• To find out which contaminants may be of local concern (some, such as arsenic and radon, are area specific), the Division of Water suggests contacting the Division of Water or Division of Waste Management, a certified drinking water testing lab, a qualified local well contractor or treatment company, or local health or environmental health officials. source
• If you are concerned about PFAS in your well, Kentucky's Department for Environmental Protection suggests contacting a certified laboratory about testing; it posts a list of certified PFAS labs at eec.ky.gov/PFAS and notes that PFAS testing can be expensive. source

Buying a home with a well in McCreary County

State-certified labs in McCreary County

None of the labs on our Kentucky list has an address in McCreary 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.

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