Full contaminant data, sample history, and sourcing for Schoharie County. For readers who want to go beyond the summary.
Contaminant Data — All Analytes
32 well testing events on record, covering
23 analytes.
Data spans 1967 to 2023.
Contaminant
Samples
Years
Detection Rate
Distribution LowModHigh
vs. Limit
vs. NY Avg
Iron
25
1967–2021
92%
113% of limit
↓ 41% below
Manganese
25
1967–2021
80%
172% of limit
↓ 44% below
Radon
18
2006–2021
100%
71% of limit
↓ 36% below
Sulfate
25
1967–2021
100%
6% of limit
↓ 57% below
Chloride
25
1967–2021
100%
12% of limit
↓ 59% below
Arsenic
23
1971–2021
91%
10% of limit
↓ 46% below
Fluoride
24
1967–2021
100%
6% of limit
~ typical
HFPO-DA (GenX)
municipal
5
2025
0%
—
—
Lead
23
1971–2021
61%
2% of limit
↓ 64% below
Nitrate
25
1967–2021
52%
1% of limit
↓ 92% below
Nitrite
19
1973–2021
26%
0% of limit
↓ 76% below
PFHxS
municipal
5
2025
0%
—
—
PFNA
municipal
5
2025
0%
—
—
PFOA
municipal
5
2025
0%
—
—
PFOS
municipal
5
2025
0%
—
—
Uranium
18
2006–2021
83%
2% of limit
~ typical
E. coli
7
2006–2021
0%
—
—
Fecal Coliform
7
2006–2021
5%
—
~ typical
Hardness
25
1967–2021
100%
—
↓ 32% below
PFBS
municipal
5
2025
0%
—
—
pH
25
1967–2021
100%
—
~ typical
Sodium
25
1967–2021
100%
—
↑ 36% above
Total Coliform
7
2006–2021
30%
—
~ 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 NY.
Compare your result with Schoharie County
Of the 23 arsenic tests on record for Schoharie County (1971–2021),
9% found none, and half were below 0.79 µg/L.
Of the 25 chloride tests on record for Schoharie County (1967–2021),
0% found none, and half were below 30.2 mg/L.
Of the 24 fluoride tests on record for Schoharie County (1967–2021),
0% found none, and half were below 250 µg/L.
Of the 25 iron tests on record for Schoharie County (1967–2021),
8% found none, and half were below 195 µg/L.
Of the 23 lead tests on record for Schoharie County (1971–2021),
39% found none, and half were below 0.1 µg/L.
Of the 25 manganese tests on record for Schoharie County (1967–2021),
20% found none, and half were below 20.2 µg/L.
Of the 25 nitrate tests on record for Schoharie County (1967–2021),
48% found none.
Of the 25 sulfate tests on record for Schoharie County (1967–2021),
0% found none, and half were below 14.6 mg/L.
Data Coverage & Gaps
Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)
Iron 25 samples
Manganese 25 samples
Radon 18 samples
Sulfate 25 samples
Chloride 25 samples
Arsenic 23 samples
Fluoride 24 samples
Lead 23 samples
Nitrate 25 samples
Nitrite 19 samples
Uranium 18 samples
Hardness 25 samples
pH 25 samples
Sodium 25 samples
Limited data (<15 samples) — interpret with caution
E. coli 7 samples
Fecal Coliform 7 samples
Total Coliform 7 samples
No private-well PFAS data for Schoharie County
We have no private well sampling data for PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and related chemicals) in Schoharie 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 Schoharie 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 Schoharie 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 Schoharie County. Census data explorer →
USGS Aquifer Atlas — principal aquifer type underlying Schoharie 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 Schoharie County, used in contamination risk scoring. TRI Explorer →
EPA Superfund NPL — National Priorities List sites in or near Schoharie 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.