Data & Methodology — Livingston County

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

Contaminant Data — All Analytes

131 well testing events on record, covering 22 analytes. Data spans 1965 to 2017.

Contaminant Samples Years Detection Rate Distribution LowModHigh vs. Limit vs. MI Avg
Iron 98 1965–2016 81%
253% of limit ↓ 30% below
Manganese 86 1975–2016 93%
39% of limit ↓ 56% below
Chloride 101 1965–2016 100%
31% of limit ↑ 64% above
Nitrate 91 1965–2016 67%
22% of limit ↑ 636% above
Arsenic 74 1975–2016 80%
3% of limit ↓ 90% below
Fluoride 88 1966–2016 94%
4% of limit ↓ 55% below
HFPO-DA (GenX) municipal 6 2023–2025 0%
— —
Lead 67 1975–2016 33%
0% of limit ↓ 98% below
Nitrite 80 1975–2016 28%
1% of limit ↓ 54% below
PFHxS municipal 6 2023–2025 0%
— —
PFNA municipal 6 2023–2025 0%
— —
PFOA municipal 6 2023–2025 0%
— —
PFOS municipal 6 2023–2025 0%
— —
Radon 14 1996–1998 100%
6% of limit ~ typical
Sulfate 101 1965–2016 99%
11% of limit ↓ 46% below
Uranium 66 1976–2016 88%
2% of limit ↑ 71% above
E. coli 2 1997–2016 7%
— ~ typical
Hardness 101 1965–2016 99%
— ↑ 30% above
PFBS municipal 6 2023–2025 0%
— —
pH 124 1965–2016 100%
— ~ typical
Sodium 93 1966–2016 100%
— ↑ 23% above
Total Coliform 2 1997–2016 17%
— ~ typical

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 Livingston County

Of the 74 arsenic tests on record for Livingston County (1975–2016), 20% found none, and half were below 0.23 µg/L.

Of the 101 chloride tests on record for Livingston County (1965–2016), 0% found none, and half were below 77.7 mg/L.

Of the 88 fluoride tests on record for Livingston County (1966–2016), 6% found none, and half were below 135 µg/L.

Of the 98 iron tests on record for Livingston County (1965–2016), 19% found none, and half were below 187 µg/L.

Of the 67 lead tests on record for Livingston County (1975–2016), 67% found none.

Of the 86 manganese tests on record for Livingston County (1975–2016), 7% found none, and half were below 14.3 µg/L.

Of the 91 nitrate tests on record for Livingston County (1965–2016), 33% found none, and half were below 333 µg/L.

Of the 101 sulfate tests on record for Livingston County (1965–2016), 1% found none, and half were below 28.1 mg/L.

Of the 66 uranium tests on record for Livingston County (1976–2016), 12% found none, and half were below 0.461 µg/L.

Have a number from your lab? Enter it to see where it falls. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Want the full picture for your well? Check all your results.

Data Coverage & Gaps

Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)

  • Iron 98 samples
  • Manganese 86 samples
  • Chloride 101 samples
  • Nitrate 91 samples
  • Arsenic 74 samples
  • Fluoride 88 samples
  • Lead 67 samples
  • Nitrite 80 samples
  • Sulfate 101 samples
  • Uranium 66 samples
  • Hardness 101 samples
  • pH 124 samples
  • Sodium 93 samples

Limited data (<15 samples) — interpret with caution

  • Radon 14 samples
  • E. coli 2 samples
  • Total Coliform 2 samples

No private-well PFAS data for Livingston County

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

430 Active public water systems
134,667 Residents on public water
71% Households on private wells

Public water systems in Livingston 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 Livingston 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 Livingston County Prevalence MI Average Source Year
Arsenic Cancer prevalence 8.0% 7.2% 2023
Arsenic Cancer prevalence 7.7% 7.2% 2020
Arsenic Kidney disease rate 2.8% 3.2% 2020

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