Reports within 24 hours · Get your free instant quote
Closer Look InspectorsStatewide Minnesota & IowaFree Instant Quote
Well Water Testing · Shafer, MN

Well Water Testing in Shafer

Well water testing for homes on a private well across Minnesota. We collect the sample the right way and send it to an accredited laboratory for…

Get Your Free Instant QuoteSee What's Included
Shafer · Chisago County

Well Water Testing in Shafer

Well water testing for homes on a private well across Minnesota. We collect the sample the right way and send it to an accredited laboratory for coliform bacteria and E. coli, nitrate, arsenic, lead, manganese, iron, hardness, pH, fluoride, sulfate and uranium. The Minnesota Department of Health recommends testing a private well for coliform bacteria every year, nitrate every other year, and arsenic and lead at least once. We also look at the visible wellhead, the pressure tank and the water treatment equipment during the home inspection.

Shafer is a small farm town of older homes and new growth near the St. Croix valley. Housing here runs to older farm-town homes and new growth, across the old town core and the newer subdivisions toward Highway 8.

Well water in Chisago County

MDA's 2018 township testing in Chisago County covered Amador and Sunrise townships: 382 wells were sampled and 3.7% were at or over the 10 mg/L nitrate limit, with Sunrise at 5.0% and Amador at 0.8%. That is one snapshot of two townships, so a single well can differ. MDH adds that arsenic is in groundwater statewide, found in about 40 percent of new wells drilled since 2008, and that manganese occurs naturally across Minnesota. We test for coliform bacteria and E. coli, nitrate, arsenic, lead, manganese, iron, hardness, pH, fluoride, sulfate and uranium through an accredited lab.

County facts checked September 2026 against: Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Department of Health, mda.state.mn.us, chisagocountymn.gov.

See all Shafer inspections →  ·  More about well water testing →

Questions

Common questions.

Who needs well water testing?
Any home on a private well, and above all when you are buying one. A private well is not regulated like a city water system, so the owner is responsible for knowing what is in the water. Testing before closing tells you whether the water needs treatment while you can still ask questions or negotiate.
What do you test for?
Our lab panel covers coliform bacteria and E. coli, nitrate, arsenic, lead, manganese, iron, hardness, pH, fluoride, sulfate and uranium. Bacteria and nitrate are the short-term health checks. Arsenic, lead, manganese and uranium are the ones you cannot see or taste. Iron, hardness, pH and sulfate explain staining, scale, odor and wear on plumbing and appliances.
How often should a well be tested?
The Minnesota Department of Health recommends coliform bacteria every year, nitrate every other year, and arsenic and lead at least once. Test again after flooding, after any work on the well, or if the taste, color or smell of the water changes.
Is well water testing part of the home inspection?
It is an add-on. Book it with the home inspection and we collect the sample the same visit, so the lab results arrive with time to act on them inside your inspection window.
Is nitrate a concern in Chisago County wells?
MDA sampled 382 wells in Amador and Sunrise townships in 2018. About 3.7% were at or over the 10 mg/L limit: 5.0% in Sunrise and 0.8% in Amador. That is lower than several farm-heavy counties but not zero. MDH recommends nitrate testing every other year and coliform bacteria every year, and a buyer should test the well itself.
Do you cover Shafer?
Yes — both the older farm-town core and the newer subdivision growth get a full local inspection.
Keep looking

More across Minnesota.

Well Water Testing nearby

Other inspections in Shafer

Questions about well water testing

In-depth guides

Free instant quote

Build your quote in 30 seconds.

No phone tag, no callback delay. Price and book your inspection right here — it takes about 30 seconds and there is no obligation.

Free Instant Quote & SchedulerPowered by InspectorData
Free Instant Quote