Data & Methodology — Kalamazoo County

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

Contaminant Data — All Analytes

241 well testing events on record, covering 20 analytes. Data spans 1959 to 2025.

Contaminant Samples Years Detection Rate Distribution LowModHigh vs. Limit vs. MI Avg
Manganese 84 1966–2013 94%
240% of limit ↑ 172% above
Iron 89 1966–2013 97%
217% of limit ↓ 40% below
Nitrate 107 1965–2013 78%
2% of limit ↓ 48% below
PFOS municipal 56 2023–2025 7%
144% of limit ↑ 23% above
Chloride 115 1965–2013 100%
5% of limit ↓ 75% below
Arsenic 56 1971–2013 54%
30% of limit ~ typical
Sulfate 117 1965–2013 99%
13% of limit ↓ 40% below
Fluoride 90 1966–2013 100%
5% of limit ↓ 40% below
HFPO-DA (GenX) municipal 56 2023–2025 0%
— —
Lead 56 1971–2013 5%
0% of limit ↓ 100% below
Nitrite 53 1975–2013 17%
2% of limit ↑ 69% above
PFHxS municipal 56 2023–2025 16%
37% of limit ↓ 32% below
PFNA municipal 56 2023–2025 0%
— —
PFOA municipal 56 2023–2025 2%
100% of limit ~ typical
Radon 5 1988–2013 60%
40% of limit ↑ 468% above
Uranium 3 1976–2013 100%
2% of limit ↑ 74% above
Hardness 114 1965–2013 100%
— ~ typical
PFBS municipal 56 2023–2025 18%
— ↑ 21% above
pH 215 1965–2023 100%
— ~ typical
Sodium 90 1966–2013 100%
— ↓ 75% below

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 MI.

Compare your result with Kalamazoo County

Of the 56 arsenic tests on record for Kalamazoo County (1971–2013), 46% found none, and half were below 0.5 µg/L.

Of the 115 chloride tests on record for Kalamazoo County (1965–2013), 0% found none, and half were below 12 mg/L.

Of the 90 fluoride tests on record for Kalamazoo County (1966–2013), 0% found none, and half were below 200 µg/L.

Of the 89 iron tests on record for Kalamazoo County (1966–2013), 3% found none, and half were below 630 µg/L.

Of the 56 lead tests on record for Kalamazoo County (1971–2013), 95% found none.

Of the 84 manganese tests on record for Kalamazoo County (1966–2013), 6% found none, and half were below 100 µg/L.

Of the 107 nitrate tests on record for Kalamazoo County (1965–2013), 21% found none, and half were below 50 µg/L.

Of the 117 sulfate tests on record for Kalamazoo County (1965–2013), 1% found none, and half were below 31 mg/L.

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Data Coverage & Gaps

Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)

  • Manganese 84 samples
  • Iron 89 samples
  • Nitrate 107 samples
  • Chloride 115 samples
  • Arsenic 56 samples
  • Sulfate 117 samples
  • Fluoride 90 samples
  • Lead 56 samples
  • Nitrite 53 samples
  • Hardness 114 samples
  • pH 215 samples
  • Sodium 90 samples

Limited data (<15 samples) — interpret with caution

  • Radon 5 samples
  • Uranium 3 samples

No private-well PFAS data for Kalamazoo County

We have no private well sampling data for PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and related chemicals) in Kalamazoo 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 Kalamazoo County

194 Active public water systems
285,131 Residents on public water
19% Households on private wells

Public water systems in Kalamazoo 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 Kalamazoo 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 Kalamazoo County Prevalence MI Average Source Year
Arsenic Cancer prevalence 6.4% 7.2% 2020
Arsenic Kidney disease rate 2.8% 3.2% 2020

Source: CDC PLACES county-level estimates. Raw data: Download Kalamazoo 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 MI with at least one sample for that analyte.

Last updated: 2026-08-04

Full methodology →