Private well owners in Minnesota encouraged to test for arsenic, other contaminants
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With jars of well water in hand and concerns about what might be inside them, residents from across southern Minnesota gathered in Fairmont this month to answer a question many private well owners hadn't ever bothered to ask: Is our water safe?
They were at a free water screening clinic at the Knights of Columbus Event Center where volunteers from environmental nonprofit organizations tested private well water samples for nitrate, chloride, coliform bacteria, manganese and arsenic.
Arsenic, a naturally occurring chemical element found in soil, rocks and water, can be highly toxic for human consumption. High levels of arsenic have been found in water supplies in Mower County and other areas of Minnesota.
Glenda Sinn read about the screening on a postcard she received in the mail and drove 25 miles from Trimont to drop off samples.
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“We've lived there for 15 years, and I don't know that that water has ever been tested,” Sinn said.
Alicia Driscoll also learned about the screening from the postcard. She came to the screening with her 9-month-old son in tow and dropped off three jars of water from her property just outside Fairmont city limits.
One jar was water from the well directly outside, another went through their reverse osmosis filtration system and a third sample came directly from the tap. Driscoll said her family drinks the filtered water and showers and brushes their teeth with the tap water.
“I've definitely been thinking about getting our water tested,” Driscoll said. “We just never have, and I didn't know how to do it, or where to take it, or who to trust.”
These screening clinics are put on by the Minnesota Well Owners Organization, Mayo Clinic, Freshwater Society, the United State Geological Survey and the Minnesota Groundwater Association.
Funding for the project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources.
“It's up to the private well owner to take care of their own health,” said Freshwater’s Carrie Jennings. “If you live in a city, your city is regulated and has to do that for you. But if you have your own well, it's up to you to kind of keep up on the testing and things can go wrong with wells.”
Recent research from Mayo Clinic shows a significant reliance on well water use in the Midwest and unanimous support for the need for further well water testing information and resources for patients and their clinicians.
Dr. Dominika Jegen is behind the research. She became interested in well water safety after a couple of patients came to her concerned about their health after several of their dogs died from arsenic poisoning.
“I had no idea what to look for in arsenic poisoning or toxicity,” Jegen said. “Long story short, we tested this couple, and they were fine. But that's what actually led me into this research.”
In 2023, Jegen surveyed 250,000 actively registered Mayo Clinic patients in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. A similar questionnaire went out to physicians. Her research found that 44 percent of respondents had private wells — significantly higher than the national average.
“If somebody develops, let's say lung cancer, I can't tell you for sure it's from arsenic in their water. It can be or if somebody develops renal cancer or diabetes or high blood pressure or cardiomyopathy, I can't tell you for sure. Nobody can,” Jegen said. “But these things are very easy to mitigate.”
Her research has led to free water test kits becoming available through state funding.
But what happens when and if a well owner finds contaminants in their water supply? They have to come up with a treatment plan, maintain it and stay vigilant.
“They may not be used to treating their water and being in charge of it; it's a really a big burden of responsibility on private well owners,” said Paul Wotzka with Minnesota Well Owners Organization.
“It’s going to be a big educational process to get people up to speed — not only on getting treatment systems but also maintaining them,” Wotzka said.
The groups have more water screening clinics scheduled in 2026.
