New Fiscal Year, Fresh Funding: Safety, Testing, and Resources for Private Well Owners

July 1 marks the start of a new fiscal year in Iowa, bringing a full reset of funding available to help private well owners test their drinking water at little to no cost. If you've been putting off testing your well, now is the moment to act. 

About 7% of Iowans, roughly 230,000 people, rely on private wells as their home's primary drinking water source. Unlike municipal water systems, private wells are not regulated under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Maintaining water quality is entirely the responsibility of the individual well owner, yet only 5 to 10% of households with private wells test their water annually. That gap matters, because the risks are real and largely invisible: bacteria, arsenic, and nitrate are found at elevated levels in 10 to 29% of Iowa's private wells, and exposure to some of these contaminants has been linked to cancer (Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.). 

What's in Your Well — and Why It Matters 

The most common contaminants found in Iowa private wells are odorless, tasteless, and colorless. The only way to know if they are present is to test. 

Arsenic, a known human carcinogen linked to lung, bladder, kidney, skin, and liver cancers, is found above safe drinking water levels in about 14% of Iowa wells. Nitrate, a water-soluble form of nitrogen tied to agricultural runoff and fertilizer, is found above the safe limit in roughly 10% of wells and has been linked to increased incidence of colorectal cancer. Bacteria, including total coliform, is the most common issue of all, found in approximately 29% of Iowa wells tested in 2020. PFAS, the so-called "forever chemicals," and radon are less common in private wells but present a concern for Iowans near known contamination sites.  

If these pollutants are present above safe drinking water standards, they may not cause immediate illness, but they carry significant long-term health risks, including cancer. For more information on these contaminants, check out IEC's Environmental Risk Factors and Iowa's Cancer Crisis report. 

Free Testing Is Available — Starting Now 

Iowa's Private Well Grant Program provides funding to all 99 county health departments to offer free or low-cost well services to residents. Free water testing covers bacteria, nitrate, arsenic, and manganese. Additional services covered include shock chlorination ($400), well assessments ($600), well plugging ($700), and well reconstruction up to $2,000. 

These program dollars are available each fiscal year until funds run out. July 1 resets those budgets, making right now the best time to call before funds are depleted later in the year. To access the program, contact your county department of public health and ask to participate in the Grants to Counties Well Testing Program. A county Environmental Health Specialist will come to your home, collect the sample, and help you interpret your results. 

The Private Well Stewardship Program 

For well owners who want a fuller understanding of their responsibilities, ISU Extension and Outreach offers the free Private Well Stewardship Program, a 75-minute workshop connecting participants with local experts and funding resources. Of 284 past participants surveyed, 99% felt motivated to connect with a local environmental health specialist and 98% planned to test their well within the year. 

Iowa is very lucky in that we have a statewide program that can cover the cost of annual well water quality testing, shock chlorination, and well assessments, but many counties are leaving money on the table and not taking advantage of this opportunity. 

IEC supports expanded private well testing as part of our broader water quality and cancer risk work. Clean drinking water should not depend on where you live or what you can afford. The funding exists; the first step is making the call. 

References 

Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Well water. https://hhs.iowa.gov/data/environment/well-water 

Iowa Department of Natural Resources. (2025, September 17). Private well program. https://www.iowadnr.gov/environmental-protection/water-quality/private-well-program 

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. (2026, April 11). Private well stewardship program. Natural Resources. https://naturalresources.extension.iastate.edu/programs/private-well-stewardship-program 

About the Author

Catherine DeLong is the Water Quality Program Manager for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. She works statewide to bring people together to share resources, ideas and perspectives about water quality, and to help Iowans understand the role they can play in the future of Iowa’s water. Catherine connects researchers to practitioners and the general public and helps to translate water quality science to a broad audience. She also builds coalitions and new programs to meet current and future needs. Catherine has a background in soil science and agricultural policy and has experience at all levels of conservation, having previously worked for the county-level Soil and Water Conservation Districts as well as an international non-profit serving conservation professionals.