Full contaminant data, sample history, and sourcing for Tift County. For readers who want to go beyond the summary.
Contaminant Data — All Analytes
77 well testing events on record, covering
18 analytes.
Data spans 1940 to 2023.
Contaminant
Samples
Years
Detection Rate
Distribution LowModHigh
vs. Limit
vs. GA Avg
Nitrate
57
1940–2015
98%
69% of limit
↑ 978% above
Manganese
52
1970–2015
83%
12% of limit
↓ 80% below
Iron
52
1970–2015
65%
4% of limit
↓ 90% below
Arsenic
31
1970–2015
48%
3% of limit
↓ 49% below
Chloride
59
1940–2015
100%
3% of limit
↑ 60% above
PFNA
municipal
14
2025
0%
—
—
PFOA
municipal
14
2025
0%
—
—
PFHxS
municipal
14
2025
0%
—
—
PFNA
municipal
14
2025
0%
—
—
PFOA
municipal
14
2025
0%
—
—
PFOS
municipal
14
2025
0%
—
—
Radon
3
1993–1994
100%
12% of limit
↓ 32% below
Sulfate
55
1940–2015
98%
0% of limit
↓ 82% below
Uranium
30
1993–2015
83%
1% of limit
↑ 88% above
Hardness
56
1940–2015
100%
—
↓ 26% below
PFBS
municipal
14
2025
0%
—
—
pH
66
1958–2015
100%
—
↓ 28% below
Sodium
56
1940–2015
100%
—
↓ 40% below
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 Tift County
Of the 31 arsenic tests on record for Tift County (1970–2015),
52% found none.
Of the 59 chloride tests on record for Tift County (1940–2015),
0% found none, and half were below 7.45 mg/L.
Of the 56 fluoride tests on record for Tift County (1940–2015),
18% found none, and half were below 125 µg/L.
Of the 52 iron tests on record for Tift County (1970–2015),
35% found none, and half were below 7.95 µg/L.
Of the 31 lead tests on record for Tift County (1970–2015),
29% found none, and half were below 0.183 µg/L.
Of the 52 manganese tests on record for Tift County (1970–2015),
17% found none, and half were below 3.87 µg/L.
Of the 57 nitrate tests on record for Tift County (1940–2015),
2% found none, and half were below 6.83 mg/L.
Of the 55 sulfate tests on record for Tift County (1940–2015),
2% found none, and half were below 830 µg/L.
Of the 30 uranium tests on record for Tift County (1993–2015),
17% found none, and half were below 0.217 µg/L.
Data Coverage & Gaps
Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)
Nitrate 57 samples
Manganese 52 samples
Iron 52 samples
Arsenic 31 samples
Chloride 59 samples
Sulfate 55 samples
Uranium 30 samples
Hardness 56 samples
pH 66 samples
Sodium 56 samples
Limited data (<15 samples) — interpret with caution
Radon 3 samples
No private-well PFAS data for Tift County
We have no private well sampling data for PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and related chemicals) in Tift 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 Tift County
14Active public water systems
36,945Residents on public water
33%Households on private wells
Public water systems in Tift 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 Tift 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 Tift 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 Tift County. Census data explorer →
USGS Aquifer Atlas — principal aquifer type underlying Tift 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 Tift County, used in contamination risk scoring. TRI Explorer →
EPA Superfund NPL — National Priorities List sites in or near Tift 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.