Well water testing in Bucks County, Pennsylvania

Last verified: 2026-11-02 · 19 sources · What we couldn't verify

Bucks County wells face naturally occurring arsenic (8.3% of Penn State-tested samples exceeded the standard) and PFAS from firefighting foam near the former Warminster Navy base, where the Navy samples eligible private wells for free. The county Health Department sells $25 bacteria-only kits.

The PA Department of Health estimates that 26% of Pennsylvania adults rely on private well water as their main drinking water source (2020 survey data). Northern Bucks County lies in the Newark Basin, where most of a 187-square-mile USGS study area is sedimentary rock and diabase. We did not find a Bucks County-specific count of private wells.^[3][11]

Free and low-cost testing programs

Labs that serve the county

The county's own kits test bacteria only; the Health Department refers residents to accredited labs for chemical tests and says to contact each lab for prices and test types. Its list (updated 6/25/2026) also names ABE Laboratories (Bath), Aqua Pennsylvania (Bryn Mawr), Eurofins QC (Horsham) and M.J. Reider Associates (Reading). Pennsylvania accredits labs per test, so confirm accreditation for each test you order.^[2][8][9]

Local contaminants of concern

• Local hot spots PFAS (near Warminster, Warrington and Horsham bases). Groundwater at the former Naval Air Warfare Center Warminster is contaminated with PFAS from past use of firefighting foam. EPA and the Navy tested private wells in Warminster, Ivyland, Warwick, Northampton and Upper Southampton townships, and some were contaminated; ATSDR also reports contaminated private wells in Warminster and Warrington linked to the former Willow Grove base and Horsham Air Guard Station. In January 2026, Wrightstown Township reported two wells on the 200 block of Williams Avenue with high nitrate and PFAS, and other township locations above acceptable PFAS levels.^[16][13]
• Moderate concern Arsenic. 21 of 253 Bucks County samples tested by Penn State's lab (Aug 2007 - Jun 2025), or 8.3%, exceeded the 0.01 mg/L standard; the maximum was 0.023 mg/L. USGS reports that about 10% of wells across the Newark Basin of southeastern Pennsylvania exceeded the arsenic standard, with elevated levels occurring naturally, especially near diabase intrusions.^[17][18]
• Major concern Coliform bacteria / E. coli. Of 562 Penn State samples, 179 (31.9%) had total coliform bacteria and 24 (4.3%) had E. coli.^[17]
• Local hot spots Radon in water. In USGS sampling in northern Bucks County, median radon-222 was highest in wells in crystalline rock (3,600 pCi/L) and lowest in the Lockatong Formation (340 pCi/L) and diabase (350 pCi/L) (1994 report). Penn State's standard packages do not include radon.^[11]
• Moderate concern Lead, corrosive water, manganese and iron. 24 of 239 first-draw samples (10.0%) exceeded 0.015 mg/L lead, and 67.0% of 285 samples failed the corrosivity index. 10.9% of 302 samples exceeded 0.05 mg/L manganese and 8.6% of 301 exceeded 0.3 mg/L iron (aesthetic standards).^[17]
• Local hot spots Volatile organic compounds (TCE). USGS detected VOCs in 23% of 34 northern Bucks County wells sampled where VOCs were suspected; trichloroethylene was the most common (13% of sampled wells). This is older data from targeted areas, not a countywide rate.^[11]
• Lower concern Nitrate. 3 of 242 Penn State samples (1.2%) exceeded 10 mg/L; the median was 2.1 mg/L. Of 71 USGS samples in northern Bucks County, none exceeded the standard. Individual wells can still be high (see Wrightstown above).^[17][11][13]

PFAS is not part of the county kit or Penn State's packages. If you live near Warminster, Warrington, Horsham or another reported area, ask an accredited lab for a drinking-water PFAS test.

A county rate can't tell you what's in your well. Only a test can. See what to test for.

Typical cost

Prices are from the published lists cited, as of the last-verified date. Confirm before ordering.

How often to test

• PA DEP: test every year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH; test for other contaminants if you suspect them, and always use a state-certified lab.^[7]
• Wrightstown Township, citing PA DEP, recommends testing well water every year.^[13]

How to collect a sample

Steps for the Bucks County Health Department bacteria kit (other labs have their own bottles and instructions):

1. Take the sample on the same day you will deliver it to the Health Department.
2. Remove the aerator from an indoor, leak-free cold-water faucet. If the faucet is metal, flame the end with a match.
3. Run the water for 5 minutes, then reduce the stream to about 1/4 inch.
4. Fill the lab bottle without touching the inside of the cap or bottle. Do not rinse it or let it overflow (it contains a chemical for the test). Close the bottle.
5. Fill in the non-shaded part of the submission sheet and return bottle and form to Doylestown (Mon-Thu before 2 pm) or Quakertown (Tue and Thu before 1:15 pm).

Source^[2]. General steps: How to test your well water.

After you get results

The Bucks County Health Department helps homeowners interpret results and provides directions for disinfecting a well if it tests positive for coliform bacteria. Near the Willow Grove base, the Navy has offered bottled water where PFOA or PFOS exceeded Pennsylvania's drinking water limits (14 ng/L PFOA, 18 ng/L PFOS).^[1][2][19]

What we couldn't verify

• Exact boundaries of the Navy's current PFAS sampling area near NAWC Warminster and whether a given address qualifies (the notice refers to a map we could not read as text).
• Prices at Criterion Laboratories and Analytical Laboratories, and whether Analytical Laboratories accepts homeowner or mailed samples.
• Current (2026) DEP accreditation of each lab; the DEP lists we checked are dated June 2024.
• Whether the Penn State Extension Bucks County office currently stocks drinking water test kits.
• Price of DEP Southeast Regional Office bacteria kits.
• Whether the Penn State/PA DOH free well-testing program is running this year and open to Bucks County residents.
• Current countywide radon-in-water, uranium and VOC rates (the USGS data is from 1994 and covers northern Bucks only).
• A Bucks County count or share of homes on private wells.
• The county web page mentions three kit locations but its procedure sheet names only Doylestown and Quakertown.

Sources

1. Bucks County Department of Health: Residential Water Testing
2. Bucks County Department of Health: Water Sample Procedure ADM-4 (PDF)
3. PA Department of Health: Well Water
4. Penn State Agricultural Analytical Services Lab: Drinking Water Testing (packages, fees, kits)
5. Penn State Extension: Bucks County office
6. Northampton, Bucks County Municipal Authority: The United States Navy is conducting drinking water well sampling in a designated area near NAWC Warminster
7. PA Department of Environmental Protection: Private Wells: Water Testing
8. Bucks County Department of Health: Accredited Drinking Water Labs (updated 6/25/2026, PDF)
9. PA Department of Environmental Protection: Accredited Labs Report - drinking water chemistry (June 11, 2024, PDF)
10. Criterion Laboratories: Drinking Water Test Kits
11. U.S. Geological Survey: Hydrogeology and ground-water quality of northern Bucks County, Pennsylvania (WRI 94-4109)
12. Analytical Laboratories, Inc.: Analytical Laboratories, Inc. home page
13. Wrightstown Township: Well Water Testing Information (Jan 13, 2026)
14. SPL / Suburban Testing Labs: Private Well Testing (H2O Test)
15. SPL / Suburban Testing Labs: HealthGuard PFAS
16. CDC/ATSDR: Region 3 PFAS sites (Former NAWC Warminster; NASJRB Willow Grove)
17. Penn State Agricultural Analytical Services Lab: Summary of Drinking Water Samples - Bucks County (8/31/2007 - 6/27/2025, 614 samples)
18. U.S. Geological Survey: Arsenic, Boron, and Fluoride Concentrations in Ground Water in and Near Diabase Intrusions, Newark Basin, Southeastern Pennsylvania (SIR 2006-5261)
19. Tetra Tech for NAVFAC (posted by Horsham Township Library): Final 2024 Summary Report for Private Water Well Sampling, former NASJRB Willow Grove (PDF)

All sources accessed on or before 2026-11-02.

More useful links

• Penn State drinking water test summaries by county

Other Pennsylvania counties

• Chester County
• Lancaster County

All Pennsylvania county guides