Full contaminant data, sample history, and sourcing for Bell County. For readers who want to go beyond the summary.
Contaminant Data — All Analytes
657 well testing events on record, covering
22 analytes.
Data spans 1961 to 2024.
Contaminant
Samples
Years
Detection Rate
Distribution LowModHigh
vs. Limit
vs. TX Avg
Iron
393
1939–2022
83%
53% of limit
↓ 65% below
Sulfate
43
2012–2022
100%
8% of limit
↓ 72% below
Fluoride
592
1938–2022
100%
55% of limit
↑ 130% above
Chloride
42
2012–2022
100%
6% of limit
↓ 84% below
Manganese
321
1938–2022
25%
12% of limit
↓ 81% below
PFOS
municipal
108
2023–2025
3%
148% of limit
~ typical
Lead
110
1976–2022
9%
1% of limit
↓ 94% below
PFHxS
municipal
108
2023–2025
28%
37% of limit
~ typical
Arsenic
108
1979–2022
37%
4% of limit
↓ 90% below
HFPO-DA (GenX)
municipal
108
2023–2025
0%
—
—
Nitrate
70
1970–2022
83%
37% of limit
↑ 67% above
Nitrite
43
2012–2022
16%
1% of limit
↓ 42% below
PFNA
municipal
108
2023–2025
0%
—
—
PFOA
municipal
108
2023–2025
0%
—
—
Radon
1
2017
100%
15% of limit
↓ 58% below
Uranium
67
2007–2022
52%
3% of limit
↓ 82% below
Total Coliform
1
2017
0%
—
—
Sodium
42
2012–2022
100%
—
↓ 89% below
pH
44
2012–2022
100%
—
~ typical
PFBS
municipal
107
2023–2025
23%
—
~ typical
Hardness
43
2012–2022
100%
—
↑ 21% above
E. coli
1
2017
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 TX.
Compare your result with Bell County
Of the 108 arsenic tests on record for Bell County (1979–2022),
63% found none.
Of the 42 chloride tests on record for Bell County (2012–2022),
0% found none, and half were below 14.2 mg/L.
Of the 592 fluoride tests on record for Bell County (1938–2022),
0% found none, and half were below 2.2 mg/L.
Of the 393 iron tests on record for Bell County (1939–2022),
17% found none, and half were below 120 µg/L.
Of the 110 lead tests on record for Bell County (1976–2022),
91% found none.
Of the 321 manganese tests on record for Bell County (1938–2022),
75% found none.
Of the 70 nitrate tests on record for Bell County (1970–2022),
17% found none, and half were below 705 µg/L.
Of the 43 sulfate tests on record for Bell County (2012–2022),
0% found none, and half were below 20.1 mg/L.
Of the 67 uranium tests on record for Bell County (2007–2022),
48% found none, and half were below 0.432 µg/L.
Data Coverage & Gaps
Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)
Iron 393 samples
Sulfate 43 samples
Fluoride 592 samples
Chloride 42 samples
Manganese 321 samples
Lead 110 samples
Arsenic 108 samples
Nitrate 70 samples
Nitrite 43 samples
Uranium 67 samples
Sodium 42 samples
pH 44 samples
Hardness 43 samples
Limited data (<15 samples) — interpret with caution
Radon 1 sample
Total Coliform 1 sample
E. coli 1 sample
No private-well PFAS data for Bell County
We have no private well sampling data for PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and related chemicals) in Bell 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 Bell 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 Bell 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 Bell County. Census data explorer →
USGS Aquifer Atlas — principal aquifer type underlying Bell 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 Bell County, used in contamination risk scoring. TRI Explorer →
EPA Superfund NPL — National Priorities List sites in or near Bell 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 TX with at least one sample for that analyte.