Well Water Testing

The Anoka County Public Health and Environmental Services Department helps Anoka County residents protect their drinking water. One way to assure safe, quality drinking water is by having it tested.

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Well Water Wise (3W) Week 2026

May 4th-8th, 2026

The Anoka County Public Health and Environmental Services (PHES) Department, in cooperation with multiple municipalities and county agencies, is sponsoring the 23rd annual Well Water Wise (3W) week promotion happening May 4th-8th, 2026. The goal of this promotion is to encourage residents to check the safety of their private well water. For further information on how our testing program works see the Well Water Testing Operations Below or call 763-324-4260.

DURING 3W WEEK, samples can be submitted all week long Monday through Thursday (8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) and Friday (before 11:30 AM). The well water testing kit includes details about water collection and submission. A laboratory fee of $17.00 will be charged for each test of coliform bacteria or of nitrate-nitrogen analysis.

County residents may pick up a well water test kit at participating city and township offices (listed below) or from Environmental Services, Suite 600 of the Anoka County Government Center, 2100 3rd Avenue in Anoka. Samples are collected by the residents and then dropped off at the Environmental Services desk in Anoka County Government Center. Water samples can be submitted to the county’s Environmental Services Unit for analysis every Monday from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. and Tuesday from 8 a.m. to noon. However, during Well Water Wise Week we will be accepting submissions every day of the week! See below for more details.

Unlike public water utilities, private well water is not treated with chlorine to prevent bacteria growth. Simply looking at the appearance of drinking water is not a reliable indicator of whether it is safe to drink. An annual coliform bacteria test is a good way to ensure that your drinking water continues to be free of bacteria. 

Nitrate-nitrogen occurs naturally in groundwater and wells at concentrations below one milligram per liter (mg/L). Nitrogen can seep into private wells from a variety of sources including septic systems, nitrogen fertilizers, animal feedlots, and landfills. The Minnesota Department of Health has established a Health Risk Limit (HRL) for nitrate-nitrogen at 10 mg/L. Levels above that point may pose an immediate risk to infants and pregnant women. 

The testing of private wells used for drinking water is the responsibility of individual owners. There are an estimated 25,000 private wells in service throughout Anoka County. Only a small percentage of them are tested annually. For more information about well water testing, call the Environmental Services Unit at 763-324-4260.




Well Water Testing Operations

Anoka County Environmental Services has expanded the well water testing program’s capacity by increasing the collection hours and offering more analyses. 

Our collection dates will be every Monday from 8:30am - 4:00pm and Tuesday from 8:30am - 11:30am (excluding holidays). Additionally, we will now accept tests for the following contaminants:

Contaminant
Cost
Coliform Bacteria
$17
Nitrates
$17
Arsenic
$17
Chloride
$17
Copper
$17
Fluoride
$17
Total Hardness
$35
Iron
$17
Iron Bacteria
$60
Lead
$18
Manganese
$17
Mercury
$45
Conductivity
$17
Sulfate
$18
Phosphorus


$17

The 6th floor of the Anoka County Government Center is accessible to the public. Please come up the elevator to floor 6 and enter the lobby to the left of the elevators to pick up testing kits and drop-off your sample.

Below are the criteria for dropping off a sample:

  • Water test kits must be obtained ahead of time, and are available for pick-up during regular business hours, Monday-Friday 8:30am to 4:00pm (excluding holidays).
  • The bacteria, nitrates, and metal's analysis kits are currently available for pick-up at the 6th floor of the Anoka County Government Center in the Public Health and Environmental Services Office. Additionally, Coliform Bacteria and Nitrates test kits can be picked up at your local city hall (locations are listed below).
  • Drop-offs and payment must be done in person at the Anoka County Environmental Services Front Desk every Monday (8:30am - 4:00pm) and Tuesday (8:30am - 11:30am), excluding holidays.
  • Samples for Coliform Bacteria and Nitrates, and the contaminants listed above are accepted at this time. If other testing is desired, please call Maggie Huettl at (763) 324-4207 to see if those tests can be offered through us, or a private laboratory can be recommended.
  • Samples for Bacteria and Nitrates must be collected as close to the drop-off time as possible to avoid exceeding the holding time of the sample, which can result in inaccurate results. 
  • Specific water-related questions can be directed ahead of time to Maggie Huettl at (763) 324-4207.

Water test kits for sanitary analysis are currently available at the following locations during their regular business hours:

  • Andover City Hall
  • Anoka Conservation District
  • Bethel City Hall 
  • Blaine City Hall
  • Blaine Public Works (1801 101st Ave NE, Blaine)
  • Centerville City Hall
  • Columbus City Hall
  • East Bethel City Hall
  • Ham Lake City Hall 
  • Lino Lakes City Hall
  • Linwood Township Hall
  • Nowthen City Hall
  • Oak Grove City Hall
  • Ramsey City Hall

Other Well Water Testing Options 

If test results are needed quickly (turnaround time for samples submitted through the Anoka County program is approximately 3-4 weeks at this time), or if you need analyses done on a contaminant that we do not offer testing for, a list of private, state-accredited water testing laboratories is available under 'Related Documents' on the right hand side of this webpage.