Full contaminant data, sample history, and sourcing for Van Buren County. For readers who want to go beyond the summary.
Contaminant Data — All Analytes
52 well testing events on record, covering
19 analytes.
Data spans 1963 to 2019.
Contaminant
Samples
Years
Detection Rate
Distribution LowModHigh
vs. Limit
vs. MI Avg
Iron
44
1976–1982
100%
163% of limit
↓ 55% below
Arsenic
43
1976–1982
95%
30% of limit
~ typical
Manganese
44
1976–1982
93%
20% of limit
↓ 77% below
Nitrate
44
1976–1991
68%
3% of limit
~ typical
Chloride
43
1976–1982
100%
3% of limit
↓ 84% below
Lead
43
1976–1982
2%
1333% of limit
↑ 6465% above
Fluoride
43
1976–1982
67%
5% of limit
↓ 40% below
HFPO-DA (GenX)
municipal
8
2023–2024
0%
—
—
Nitrite
44
1976–1991
25%
1% of limit
~ typical
PFHxS
municipal
8
2023–2024
0%
—
—
PFNA
municipal
8
2023–2024
0%
—
—
PFOA
municipal
8
2023–2024
0%
—
—
PFOS
municipal
8
2023–2024
0%
—
—
Sulfate
43
1976–1982
98%
9% of limit
↓ 58% below
Uranium
1
1976
0%
—
—
pH
45
1976–1991
100%
—
~ typical
Sodium
42
1981–1982
100%
—
↓ 85% below
Hardness
43
1981–1982
100%
—
~ typical
PFBS
municipal
8
2023–2024
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 MI.
Compare your result with Van Buren County
Of the 43 arsenic tests on record for Van Buren County (1976–1982),
5% found none, and half were below 3 µg/L.
Of the 43 chloride tests on record for Van Buren County (1976–1982),
0% found none, and half were below 7.7 mg/L.
Of the 43 fluoride tests on record for Van Buren County (1976–1982),
33% found none, and half were below 100 µg/L.
Of the 44 iron tests on record for Van Buren County (1976–1982),
0% found none, and half were below 490 µg/L.
Of the 43 lead tests on record for Van Buren County (1976–1982),
98% found none.
Of the 44 manganese tests on record for Van Buren County (1976–1982),
7% found none, and half were below 10 µg/L.
Of the 44 nitrate tests on record for Van Buren County (1976–1991),
32% found none, and half were below 30 µg/L.
Of the 43 sulfate tests on record for Van Buren County (1976–1982),
2% found none, and half were below 21 mg/L.
Data Coverage & Gaps
Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)
Iron 44 samples
Arsenic 43 samples
Manganese 44 samples
Nitrate 44 samples
Chloride 43 samples
Lead 43 samples
Fluoride 43 samples
Nitrite 44 samples
Sulfate 43 samples
pH 45 samples
Sodium 42 samples
Hardness 43 samples
Limited data (<15 samples) — interpret with caution
Uranium 1 sample
No private-well PFAS data for Van Buren County
We have no private well sampling data for PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and related chemicals) in Van Buren 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 Van Buren County
185Active public water systems
57,996Residents on public water
65%Households on private wells
Public water systems in Van Buren 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 Van Buren 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.
This report aggregates data from the following public databases:
Water Quality Portal (WQP) — groundwater sample results for Van Buren County from EPA, USGS, and state agencies. Browse WQP data →
EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) — public water system inventory used to estimate the share of residents on private wells. Browse SDWIS →
Census ACS 5-Year Estimates — well and cistern household counts (variable DP04_0074E) used to calculate the private-well percentage for Van Buren County. Census data explorer →
USGS Aquifer Atlas — principal aquifer type underlying Van Buren County, which informs which contaminants are geologically likely. USGS Aquifer Atlas →
EPA UCMR 5 (2023–2025) — PFAS occurrence data from public water systems, used as a proxy indicator for aquifer PFAS exposure. Rows marked "municipal" in the table above come from this source. About UCMR 5 →
EPA Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) — industrial facility chemical releases near Van Buren County, used in contamination risk scoring. TRI Explorer →
EPA Superfund NPL — National Priorities List sites in or near Van Buren County, used in contamination risk scoring. Superfund site search →
CDC PLACES — county-level health outcome prevalence (kidney disease, cancer, heart disease) correlated with detected contaminants. About CDC PLACES →
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.