Drinking Water Quality & Testing

Person filling a cup of water at the faucet.

Our drinking water lab services permanently ended on October 1, 2025.

We discontinued these services due to very low use of the lab by private well owners, rising operational costs, aging lab equipment, and the availability to do this testing at other certified labs locally.
We will still help you identify your well water testing needs and help you understand your test results.
We will continue to do beach water quality testing in the summer, and we will continue to monitor chloride levels in our lakes and waterways. We will also remain active and involved in supporting environmental public health investigations.

Is my drinking water safe?

In Dane County, the biggest concerns are:

Nitrates in private well water, which can be harmful to infants and pregnant people. Get your well water tested annually!
Lead: Old plumbing pipes, solder, and fixtures can release lead and other metals into drinking water.
PFAS: If you pay a water bill, you have water that comes from a municipal water utility. The water utility tests the water regularly for contaminants, including PFAS, and makes sure that you have safe drinking water.
Madison Water Utility monitors drinking water supplies in all municipal wells for PFAS contamination. Get information on municipal well testing and results from Madison Water Utility.
- If you don’t live in Madison, contact your municipality to learn about PFAS testing in your community.
- Learn more about PFAS.

Drinking Water Reports

All community water utilities are required to provide customers with a Consumer Confidence Report by July 1 of each year. If you did not get a report, contact your water system or generate your own on the Department of Natural Resources website. For more Madison water quality data, visit Madison Water Utility.

What should I test my water for?

If you pay a water bill, you have water that comes from a municipal water utility. The water utility tests the water regularly, including PFAS, and makes sure that you have safe drinking water. If you live in a colored area on the map below, you have municipal water. Click on your area for water utility contact information.

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Private Well Owners

Test your water each year for bacteria and nitrate/nitrite.
Test sooner if there was flooding in the area or if your water tastes, smells, or looks different.
Test for nitrate as soon as you learn that a pregnant person or infant will live in the home. Nitrate can reduce the blood's ability to carry oxygen. In infants it can cause a serious condition called "blue baby syndrome."
Learn what else you should test for from Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. You can also call us at 608-266-4821 or send us an email at health@publichealthmdc.com.
If you're in an area near PFAS contamination, it's recommended that you test your well for PFAS.

Private well testing for PFAS

PFAS can affect your health. In Dane County, the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene is able to test for PFAS. You can also get your water tested from any WI DNR certified labs. If you get your well tested, you can use this tool from the Department of Health Services to compare your test results to State standards. If PFAS levels are high, you can take steps to limit your exposure.

If you need help understanding your test results, email us.

Municipal Water Customers

You can test for water quality problems that may come from your plumbing, like lead, copper, manganese or bacterial contamination.
You should test for lead if:
- You have lead piping or solder, which was legal until 1986
- The system that brings water to where you live has lead piping or solder
- You have galvanized steel pipes
- Check Madison Water Utility’s website to figure out if you have lead pipes, or give us a call at 608-242-6515. Lead levels may vary widely throughout the home so don’t rely on just one good test.

How do I test my water?

Labs that Offer Water Testing

While we discontinued our services, there are other options for testing your water at comparable costs. The Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene is in Dane County. There are also labs that operate by mail or are located in nearby counties:

Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene: 608-224-6202, 2601 Agriculture Dr, Madison. Pick up and send back in person or via mail.
UW Stevens Point Water and Environment Lab: 715-346-3209, weal@uwsp.edu, see website for locations. Pick up and send back in person or via mail.
Rock County Health Department Laboratory: 608-757-5440, 3328 US Hwy 51 N, Janesville. Test kit can be mailed or picked up in person, but sample must be dropped off in person.
Badger Labs: 800-776-7196, info@badgerlabs.com. In person pick up in Neenah, Green Bay, or Stevens Point; See website or call for details. Pick up and send back in person or via mail.

If you need help deciding which tests you need or how to interpret your well testing results

Email lab@publichealthmdc.com or call us at 608-243-0357 to discuss.

Free Drinking Water Testing For Those who Qualify

If a pregnant person or baby under 6 months lives in your home and you have financial need, water testing of your private well is available for free through the Wisconsin Well Testing Accessibility Program, a state-run program.
Please call 608-242-6515 or email lab@publichealthmdc.com to find out if you qualify for free testing. We do not run these tests but can connect you with state resources.