Data & Methodology — Aitkin County

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

Contaminant Data — All Analytes

139 well testing events on record, covering 19 analytes. Data spans 1965 to 2024.

Contaminant Samples Years Detection Rate Distribution LowModHigh vs. Limit vs. MN Avg
PFHxS 1 — 100%
340% of limit ↑ 325% above
Manganese 126 1965–2022 97%
197% of limit ↓ 60% below
Iron 135 1965–2023 70%
152% of limit ↓ 79% below
PFOA 16 — 100%
40% of limit ↓ 91% below
PFOS 8 — 100%
54% of limit ↓ 73% below
Arsenic 104 1995–2022 86%
32% of limit ↓ 62% below
PFNA 9 — 100%
9% of limit ↓ 48% below
Nitrite 14 1970–2013 36%
1% of limit ~ typical
Nitrate 38 1965–2013 42%
1% of limit ↓ 98% below
Lead 104 1995–2022 10%
1% of limit ↓ 97% below
Chloride 136 1965–2023 97%
1% of limit ↓ 89% below
Fluoride 137 1965–2023 97%
6% of limit ~ typical
Radon 1 2013 100%
56% of limit ~ typical
Sulfate 136 1965–2023 76%
2% of limit ↓ 88% below
Uranium 1 2013 100%
4% of limit ~ typical
Sodium 137 1965–2023 100%
— ↓ 62% below
Hardness 23 1965–2013 100%
— ~ typical
pH 23 1965–2013 100%
— ~ typical
PFBS 3 — 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 MN.

Compare your result with Aitkin County

Of the 104 arsenic tests on record for Aitkin County (1995–2022), 14% found none, and half were below 2.5 µg/L.

Of the 136 chloride tests on record for Aitkin County (1965–2023), 3% found none, and half were below 1.92 mg/L.

Of the 137 fluoride tests on record for Aitkin County (1965–2023), 3% found none, and half were below 240 µg/L.

Of the 135 iron tests on record for Aitkin County (1965–2023), 30% found none, and half were below 240 µg/L.

Of the 104 lead tests on record for Aitkin County (1995–2022), 90% found none.

Of the 126 manganese tests on record for Aitkin County (1965–2022), 3% found none, and half were below 95.2 µg/L.

Of the 38 nitrate tests on record for Aitkin County (1965–2013), 58% found none.

Of the 136 sulfate tests on record for Aitkin County (1965–2023), 24% found none, and half were below 3.46 mg/L.

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Data Coverage & Gaps

Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)

  • Manganese 126 samples
  • Iron 135 samples
  • PFOA 16 samples
  • Arsenic 104 samples
  • Nitrate 38 samples
  • Lead 104 samples
  • Chloride 136 samples
  • Fluoride 137 samples
  • Sulfate 136 samples
  • Sodium 137 samples
  • Hardness 23 samples
  • pH 23 samples

Limited data (<15 samples) — interpret with caution

  • PFHxS 1 sample
  • PFOS 8 samples
  • PFNA 9 samples
  • Nitrite 14 samples
  • Radon 1 sample
  • Uranium 1 sample
  • PFBS 3 samples

Public vs. Private Water in Aitkin County

122 Active public water systems
11,804 Residents on public water
80% Households on private wells

Public water systems in Aitkin 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 Aitkin 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 Aitkin County Prevalence MN Average Source Year
Arsenic Kidney disease rate 2.7% 2.9% 2020
Lead Heart disease rate 10.6% 6.6% 2020
Arsenic Cancer prevalence 6.1% 7.0% 2020

Source: CDC PLACES county-level estimates. Raw data: Download Aitkin 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 MN with at least one sample for that analyte.

Last updated: 2026-08-04

Full methodology →