Data & Methodology — Burnett County

Full contaminant data, sample history, and sourcing for Burnett County. For readers who want to go beyond the summary.

Contaminant Data — All Analytes

73 well testing events on record, covering 19 analytes. Data spans 1946 to 2024.

Contaminant Samples Years Detection Rate Distribution LowModHigh vs. Limit vs. WI Avg
Manganese 46 1946–1986 72%
260% of limit ↑ 92% above
Iron 65 1946–1986 97%
73% of limit ↓ 69% below
Lead 25 1976–1986 56%
40% of limit ↑ 3931% above
Sulfate 66 1946–1986 97%
2% of limit ↓ 65% below
Radon 1 1993 100%
13% of limit ↓ 24% below
PFOS 9 2022 0%
— —
PFOA 9 2022 67%
9% of limit ↓ 43% below
PFNA 9 2022 11%
2% of limit ↓ 23% below
PFHxS 9 2022 0%
— —
Nitrite 32 1966–1986 22%
0% of limit ↓ 69% below
Nitrate 40 1964–1986 58%
6% of limit ↓ 65% below
HFPO-DA (GenX) 9 2022 0%
— —
Fluoride 60 1946–1986 52%
2% of limit ↓ 47% below
Chloride 68 1946–1986 100%
1% of limit ↓ 85% below
Arsenic 27 1976–1986 74%
20% of limit ↑ 29% above
PFBS 9 2022 11%
— ↓ 80% below
Hardness 68 1946–1986 100%
— ↓ 58% below
Sodium 33 1955–1985 100%
— ↓ 65% below
pH 65 1946–1993 100%
— ~ 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 WI.

Compare your result with Burnett County

Of the 27 arsenic tests on record for Burnett County (1976–1986), 26% found none, and half were below 2 µg/L.

Of the 68 chloride tests on record for Burnett County (1946–1986), 0% found none, and half were below 1.75 mg/L.

Of the 60 fluoride tests on record for Burnett County (1946–1986), 48% found none, and half were below 100 µg/L.

Of the 65 iron tests on record for Burnett County (1946–1986), 3% found none, and half were below 210 µg/L.

Of the 25 lead tests on record for Burnett County (1976–1986), 44% found none, and half were below 2 µg/L.

Of the 46 manganese tests on record for Burnett County (1946–1986), 28% found none, and half were below 45 µg/L.

Of the 40 nitrate tests on record for Burnett County (1964–1986), 42% found none, and half were below 95 µg/L.

Of the 66 sulfate tests on record for Burnett County (1946–1986), 3% found none, and half were below 6 mg/L.

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Data Coverage & Gaps

Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)

  • Manganese 46 samples
  • Iron 65 samples
  • Lead 25 samples
  • Sulfate 66 samples
  • Nitrite 32 samples
  • Nitrate 40 samples
  • Fluoride 60 samples
  • Chloride 68 samples
  • Arsenic 27 samples
  • Hardness 68 samples
  • Sodium 33 samples
  • pH 65 samples

Limited data (<15 samples) — interpret with caution

  • Radon 1 sample
  • PFOS 9 samples
  • PFOA 9 samples
  • PFNA 9 samples
  • PFHxS 9 samples
  • HFPO-DA (GenX) 9 samples
  • PFBS 9 samples

CDC Health Outcome Correlations

Where contaminants detected in Burnett 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.

Contaminant Associated Condition Burnett County Prevalence WI Average Source Year
Arsenic Cancer prevalence 9.7% 7.0% 2020
Arsenic Kidney disease rate 4.0% 2.9% 2020
Lead Heart disease rate 9.7% 6.5% 2020

Source: CDC PLACES county-level estimates. Raw data: Download Burnett County CDC PLACES data →

Data Sources

This report aggregates data from the following public databases:

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 WI with at least one sample for that analyte.

Last updated: 2026-07-15

Full methodology →