Full contaminant data, sample history, and sourcing for Chemung County. For readers who want to go beyond the summary.
Contaminant Data — All Analytes
92 well testing events on record, covering
23 analytes.
Data spans 1945 to 2023.
Contaminant
Samples
Years
Detection Rate
Distribution LowModHigh
vs. Limit
vs. NY Avg
Manganese
42
1953–2018
83%
60% of limit
↓ 81% below
Iron
67
1945–2018
94%
46% of limit
↓ 76% below
Chloride
70
1945–2018
100%
9% of limit
↓ 69% below
Radon
21
2003–2018
100%
9% of limit
↓ 92% below
Lead
27
1972–2018
74%
2% of limit
↓ 55% below
Arsenic
11
1972–2018
73%
10% of limit
↓ 46% below
Fluoride
42
1953–2018
67%
2% of limit
↓ 55% below
HFPO-DA (GenX)
municipal
15
2023–2024
0%
—
—
Nitrate
42
1953–2018
81%
9% of limit
~ typical
Nitrite
23
1974–2018
9%
1% of limit
↑ 34% above
PFHxS
municipal
15
2023–2024
0%
—
—
PFNA
municipal
15
2023–2024
0%
—
—
PFOA
municipal
15
2023–2024
0%
—
—
PFOS
municipal
15
2023–2024
0%
—
—
Sulfate
46
1945–2018
100%
10% of limit
↓ 29% below
Uranium
21
2003–2018
95%
1% of limit
↓ 73% below
Total Coliform
1
2007–2018
40%
—
~ typical
Sodium
43
1953–2018
100%
—
↓ 47% below
pH
81
1945–2018
100%
—
~ typical
PFBS
municipal
15
2023–2024
0%
—
—
Hardness
69
1945–2018
100%
—
~ typical
Fecal Coliform
1
2007–2018
0%
—
—
E. coli
1
2007–2018
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 NY.
Compare your result with Chemung County
Of the 70 chloride tests on record for Chemung County (1945–2018),
0% found none, and half were below 22.5 mg/L.
Of the 42 fluoride tests on record for Chemung County (1953–2018),
33% found none, and half were below 100 µg/L.
Of the 67 iron tests on record for Chemung County (1945–2018),
6% found none, and half were below 130 µg/L.
Of the 27 lead tests on record for Chemung County (1972–2018),
26% found none, and half were below 0.21 µg/L.
Of the 42 manganese tests on record for Chemung County (1953–2018),
17% found none, and half were below 20 µg/L.
Of the 42 nitrate tests on record for Chemung County (1953–2018),
19% found none, and half were below 474 µg/L.
Of the 46 sulfate tests on record for Chemung County (1945–2018),
0% found none, and half were below 24.1 mg/L.
Of the 21 uranium tests on record for Chemung County (2003–2018),
5% found none, and half were below 0.146 µg/L.
Data Coverage & Gaps
Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)
Manganese 42 samples
Iron 67 samples
Chloride 70 samples
Radon 21 samples
Lead 27 samples
Fluoride 42 samples
Nitrate 42 samples
Nitrite 23 samples
Sulfate 46 samples
Uranium 21 samples
Sodium 43 samples
pH 81 samples
Hardness 69 samples
Limited data (<15 samples) — interpret with caution
Arsenic 11 samples
Total Coliform 1 sample
Fecal Coliform 1 sample
E. coli 1 sample
No private-well PFAS data for Chemung County
We have no private well sampling data for PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and related chemicals) in Chemung 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 →
CDC Health Outcome Correlations
Where contaminants detected in Chemung 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 Chemung 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 Chemung County. Census data explorer →
USGS Aquifer Atlas — principal aquifer type underlying Chemung 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 Chemung County, used in contamination risk scoring. TRI Explorer →
EPA Superfund NPL — National Priorities List sites in or near Chemung 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 NY with at least one sample for that analyte.