Full contaminant data, sample history, and sourcing for Brooks County. For readers who want to go beyond the summary.
Contaminant Data — All Analytes
52 well testing events on record, covering
15 analytes.
Data spans 1937 to 2015.
Contaminant
Samples
Years
Detection Rate
Distribution LowModHigh
vs. Limit
vs. GA Avg
Manganese
28
1974–2013
57%
40% of limit
↓ 33% below
Arsenic
22
1974–2013
86%
24% of limit
↑ 304% above
Iron
28
1974–2013
36%
15% of limit
↓ 64% below
HFPO-DA (GenX)
municipal
10
2023–2024
0%
—
—
Chloride
46
1938–2013
100%
1% of limit
↓ 25% below
PFNA
municipal
10
2023–2024
0%
—
—
PFOA
municipal
10
2023–2024
0%
—
—
Fluoride
31
1938–2013
97%
8% of limit
↑ 50% above
Nitrite
26
1974–2013
8%
1% of limit
~ typical
Fluoride
31
1938–2013
97%
8% of limit
↑ 50% above
Sulfate
29
1938–2013
97%
1% of limit
↓ 48% below
Sodium
31
1938–2013
100%
—
↓ 58% below
pH
29
1958–2013
100%
—
~ typical
PFBS
municipal
10
2023–2024
0%
—
—
Hardness
31
1938–2013
100%
—
↑ 98% above
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 GA.
Compare your result with Brooks County
Of the 22 arsenic tests on record for Brooks County (1974–2013),
14% found none, and half were below 2.15 µg/L.
Of the 46 chloride tests on record for Brooks County (1938–2013),
0% found none, and half were below 3.5 mg/L.
Of the 31 fluoride tests on record for Brooks County (1938–2013),
3% found none, and half were below 300 µg/L.
Of the 28 iron tests on record for Brooks County (1974–2013),
64% found none.
Of the 25 lead tests on record for Brooks County (1974–2013),
88% found none.
Of the 28 manganese tests on record for Brooks County (1974–2013),
43% found none, and half were below 14 µg/L.
Of the 29 nitrate tests on record for Brooks County (1938–2013),
24% found none, and half were below 30 µg/L.
Of the 29 sulfate tests on record for Brooks County (1938–2013),
3% found none, and half were below 2.49 mg/L.
Data Coverage & Gaps
Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)
Manganese 28 samples
Arsenic 22 samples
Iron 28 samples
Chloride 46 samples
Fluoride 31 samples
Nitrite 26 samples
Fluoride 31 samples
Sulfate 29 samples
Sodium 31 samples
pH 29 samples
Hardness 31 samples
No private-well PFAS data for Brooks County
We have no private well sampling data for PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and related chemicals) in Brooks 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 →
Public vs. Private Water in Brooks County
15Active public water systems
9,249Residents on public water
51%Households on private wells
Public water systems in Brooks County are regulated by the EPA and must test and report contaminant levels. Private well owners are responsible for their own testing — there is no routine monitoring of private wells by any government agency.
CDC Health Outcome Correlations
Where contaminants detected in Brooks 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 Brooks 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 Brooks County. Census data explorer →
USGS Aquifer Atlas — principal aquifer type underlying Brooks 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 Brooks County, used in contamination risk scoring. TRI Explorer →
EPA Superfund NPL — National Priorities List sites in or near Brooks 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 GA with at least one sample for that analyte.