Data & Methodology — Pope County

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

Contaminant Data — All Analytes

363 well testing events on record, covering 13 analytes. Data spans 1963 to 2022.

Contaminant Samples Years Detection Rate Distribution LowModHigh vs. Limit vs. MN Avg
Manganese 196 1964–2005 93%
274% of limit ↓ 44% below
Iron 198 1964–2006 93%
443% of limit ↓ 38% below
Arsenic 84 1985–2004 100%
81% of limit ~ typical
Sulfate 284 1964–2014 99%
7% of limit ↓ 61% below
Nitrate 117 1964–2006 73%
0% of limit ↓ 100% below
Lead 80 1994–2004 86%
1% of limit ↓ 98% below
Chloride 331 1964–2025 99%
4% of limit ↓ 52% below
Fluoride 174 1964–2005 94%
5% of limit ↓ 28% below
Nitrite 114 1986–2005 32%
0% of limit ↓ 95% below
Uranium 69 2004 94%
1% of limit ↓ 72% below
Hardness 83 1964–1988 100%
— ~ typical
pH 201 1964–1997 100%
— ~ typical
Sodium 172 1964–2005 98%
— ↓ 72% 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 MN.

Compare your result with Pope County

Of the 84 arsenic tests on record for Pope County (1985–2004), 0% found none, and half were below 8.13 µg/L.

Of the 331 chloride tests on record for Pope County (1964–2025), 1% found none, and half were below 9.2 mg/L.

Of the 174 fluoride tests on record for Pope County (1964–2005), 6% found none, and half were below 190 µg/L.

Of the 198 iron tests on record for Pope County (1964–2006), 7% found none, and half were below 1.21 mg/L.

Of the 80 lead tests on record for Pope County (1994–2004), 14% found none, and half were below 0.14 µg/L.

Of the 196 manganese tests on record for Pope County (1964–2005), 7% found none, and half were below 120 µg/L.

Of the 117 nitrate tests on record for Pope County (1964–2006), 27% found none, and half were below 2 µg/L.

Of the 284 sulfate tests on record for Pope County (1964–2014), 1% found none, and half were below 18 mg/L.

Of the 69 uranium tests on record for Pope County (2004), 6% found none, and half were below 0.25 µg/L.

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Data Coverage & Gaps

Well-sampled analytes (15+ samples)

  • Manganese 196 samples
  • Iron 198 samples
  • Arsenic 84 samples
  • Sulfate 284 samples
  • Nitrate 117 samples
  • Lead 80 samples
  • Chloride 331 samples
  • Fluoride 174 samples
  • Nitrite 114 samples
  • Uranium 69 samples
  • Hardness 83 samples
  • pH 201 samples
  • Sodium 172 samples

No private-well PFAS data for Pope County

We have no private well sampling data for PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and related chemicals) in Pope 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 Pope County

55 Active public water systems
9,055 Residents on public water
60% Households on private wells

Public water systems in Pope 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 Pope 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 Pope County Prevalence MN Average Source Year
Arsenic Cancer prevalence 6.2% 7.0% 2020
Arsenic Kidney disease rate 2.5% 2.9% 2020
Lead Heart disease rate 5.6% 6.6% 2020

Source: CDC PLACES county-level estimates. Raw data: Download Pope 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 →