Data & Methodology — Richmond County

Full contaminant data, sample history, and sourcing for Richmond County. For readers who want to go beyond the summary.

Contaminant Data — All Analytes

231 well testing events on record, covering 26 analytes. Data spans 1946 to 2023.

Contaminant Samples Years Detection Rate Distribution LowModHigh vs. Limit vs. GA Avg
PFOS municipal 20 2023–2025 20%
656% of limit ↑ 362% above
Iron 187 1955–2023 43%
15% of limit ↓ 63% below
PFHxS municipal 20 2023–2025 20%
234% of limit ↑ 457% above
PFOA municipal 20 2023–2025 10%
665% of limit ↑ 385% above
Manganese 179 1967–2023 90%
6% of limit ↓ 90% below
Radon 30 2013–2023 100%
61% of limit ↑ 237% above
Fluoride 180 1946–2023 46%
0% of limit ↓ 95% below
Uranium 10 1999–2019 20%
0% of limit ↓ 28% below
Sulfate 182 1946–2023 98%
0% of limit ↓ 93% below
Nitrate 135 1946–2023 96%
6% of limit ~ typical
Lead 156 1967–2023 80%
2% of limit ~ typical
Sulfate 182 1946–2023 98%
0% of limit ↓ 93% below
Uranium 10 1999–2019 20%
0% of limit ↓ 28% below
PFNA municipal 20 2023–2025 0%
— —
Lead 156 1967–2023 80%
2% of limit ~ typical
Nitrate 135 1946–2023 96%
6% of limit ~ typical
Chloride 189 1946–2023 100%
1% of limit ↓ 54% below
Arsenic 155 1970–2023 6%
0% of limit ↓ 92% below
HFPO-DA (GenX) municipal 20 2023–2025 0%
— —
Nitrite 124 1970–2023 8%
0% of limit ↓ 80% below
E. coli 1 2013–2019 0%
— —
Hardness 201 1946–2023 100%
— ↓ 96% below
PFBS municipal 20 2023–2025 10%
— ↑ 25% above
pH 217 1955–2023 100%
— ↓ 30% below
Sodium 180 1958–2023 100%
— ↓ 74% below
Total Coliform 1 2013–2019 0%
— —

Distribution shows the share of samples in each concentration band relative to the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): Low = below half the MCL, Moderate = between half and the MCL, High = above the MCL. Analytes without an MCL (e.g. sodium, pH) show — in the limit columns. State average is based on county median values across GA.

Compare your result with Richmond County

Of the 155 arsenic tests on record for Richmond County (1970–2023), 94% found none.

Of the 189 chloride tests on record for Richmond County (1946–2023), 0% found none, and half were below 2.14 mg/L.

Of the 180 fluoride tests on record for Richmond County (1946–2023), 54% found none.

Of the 187 iron tests on record for Richmond County (1955–2023), 57% found none.

Of the 156 lead tests on record for Richmond County (1967–2023), 20% found none, and half were below 0.169 µg/L.

Of the 179 manganese tests on record for Richmond County (1967–2023), 10% found none, and half were below 2.51 µg/L.

Of the 135 nitrate tests on record for Richmond County (1946–2023), 4% found none, and half were below 575 µg/L.

Of the 182 sulfate tests on record for Richmond County (1946–2023), 2% found none, and half were below 350 µg/L.

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Data Coverage & Gaps

Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)

  • Iron 187 samples
  • Manganese 179 samples
  • Radon 30 samples
  • Fluoride 180 samples
  • Sulfate 182 samples
  • Nitrate 135 samples
  • Lead 156 samples
  • Sulfate 182 samples
  • Lead 156 samples
  • Nitrate 135 samples
  • Chloride 189 samples
  • Arsenic 155 samples
  • Nitrite 124 samples
  • Hardness 201 samples
  • pH 217 samples
  • Sodium 180 samples

Limited data (<15 samples) — interpret with caution

  • Uranium 10 samples
  • Uranium 10 samples
  • E. coli 1 sample
  • Total Coliform 1 sample

No private-well PFAS data for Richmond County

We have no private well sampling data for PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and related chemicals) in Richmond County. PFAS has been detected in local public water systems (UCMR 5 data) — indicated by the "municipal" badge in the table above — but this does not directly indicate private well contamination. PFAS testing for private wells requires a dedicated lab panel (~$300–$500). If you are near a military base, airport, or industrial site, consider testing proactively. Learn more about PFAS →

Public vs. Private Water in Richmond County

8 Active public water systems
213,306 Residents on public water
3% Households on private wells

Public water systems in Richmond County are regulated by the EPA and must test and report contaminant levels. Private well owners are responsible for their own testing — there is no routine monitoring of private wells by any government agency.

CDC Health Outcome Correlations

Where contaminants detected in Richmond County have established associations with specific health outcomes, we cross-reference CDC PLACES county-level prevalence data. This is a contextual signal, not a causal claim.

Contaminant Associated Condition Richmond County Prevalence GA Average Source Year
PFOA Cancer prevalence 5.7% 6.3% 2020

Source: CDC PLACES county-level estimates. Raw data: Download Richmond County CDC PLACES data →

Data Sources

This report aggregates data from the following public databases:

Methodology

Raw records are downloaded from the Water Quality Portal and normalized to µg/L (ppb). Records are deduplicated by sample ID and date, and certified outliers are excluded. Analyte names are mapped to EPA canonical forms. Detection rates, distribution bands, and MCL comparisons are computed from the normalized dataset.

Distribution bands use the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level as the threshold: concentrations below 50% of the MCL are classed as Low, between 50% and 100% as Moderate, and above 100% as High. For analytes without an MCL (sodium, hardness, pH), distribution is not computed.

State comparison uses the median of county median values across all counties in GA with at least one sample for that analyte.

Last updated: 2026-08-04

Full methodology →