Your well water comes from old limestone and rock layers buried deep underground. These Mississippian-age rocks hold water in the cracks and spaces between the stone. Groundwater sits in these rocks for a long time, collecting minerals along the way.
The contaminants in your water come from the rock itself breaking down. Iron and manganese dissolve out of the shale and sandstone as water sits underground for years. Sulfate appears when minerals in the rock that contain sulfur react with the water. Uranium and radon come from natural radioactive materials trapped in these old rocks—they are not from pollution, but from the stone itself.
Your water is extremely hard and filled with minerals. You will see orange and brown staining on sinks and in toilets from the iron. The water will taste bitter or salty from the high sulfate and sodium. This hard water clogs pipes, builds scale on fixtures, and makes soap work poorly. You need to get your well tested right away and talk to a water treatment professional about a whole-house system to handle all these problems at once.
Your well water in Clearfield County exceeds EPA health standards for multiple contaminants, including lead, uranium, and radon. Iron and sulfate also exceed their limits. This is a high-urgency situation that demands immediate testing and action.
Long-term exposure to lead harms brain development in children and causes serious health problems in adults. Uranium and radon increase cancer risk. You will also notice orange and brown stains on sinks, toilets, and laundry from the iron. Your water is extremely hard, which causes thick scale buildup inside pipes and appliances. The sulfate gives water a bitter or unpleasant taste.
Get your well tested right away through a state-certified lab. A comprehensive metals and radon panel runs $200–400 and will tell you exactly what you are drinking. A whole-house treatment system combining filtration, softening, and aeration can address these problems together.
| Contaminant | Samples ⓘ | % Above MCL ⓘ | Distribution ⓘ | Confidence ⓘ | Risk ⓘ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 27 | 96% | 7% · 0% · 93% | Moderate | High |
| Iron | 30 | 59% | 37% · 7% · 57% | Moderate | High |
| Sulfate | 96 | 43% | 47% · 10% · 43% | Moderate | High |
| Radon | 15 | 27% | 67% · 7% · 27% | Moderate | High ⓘ |
| Lead | 51 | 22% | 76% · 2% · 22% | Moderate | High |
| Uranium | 11 | 10% | 91% · 0% · 9% | Low | Moderate |
| Chloride | 63 | 3% | 95% · 2% · 3% | Moderate | Moderate |
| Fluoride | 2 | 0% | 100% · 0% · 0% | Low | Low |
| Arsenic | 6 | 0% | 67% · 33% · 0% | Low | Low |
| Sodium | 89 | — | — | Moderate | Low |
| Nitrate | 1 | 0% | 100% · 0% · 0% | Low | Safe |
| Total Coliform | 1 | 0% | 100% · 0% · 0% | Low | Safe |
| pH | 24 | — | — | Moderate | Low |
| Nitrite | 1 | 0% | 100% · 0% · 0% | Low | Safe |
| Fecal Coliform | 1 | — | — | Low | Safe |
| E. coli | 1 | 0% | 100% · 0% · 0% | Low | Safe |
| Hardness | 30 | — | — | Moderate | Low |
MCL = Maximum Contaminant Level (EPA limit for public water; used as benchmark for private wells). Distribution shows % of sampled wells in each concentration band. Methodology.
Population-level CDC data. Not individual risk prediction.
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