Lab news · MI · Updated October 7, 2026
Michigan well-lab news
Direct answer
Dated notes from EGLE and MDHHS for Michigan well owners. EGLE’s yearly pair is coliform and nitrates. MDHHS adds nitrite yearly, arsenic and lead every 3–5 years, and PFAS at least once. Public-system MCLs do not bind a private well. Bacteria or nitrate still goes to the local health department.
| What to test | Why | EPA MCL / SMCL or guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Total coliform | CDC’s annual floor for a private well. A present result is a pathway warning, not a shopping trip. | Present/absent — any detected coliform is a positive until a clean retest CDC well-testing guidelines |
| Nitrate as N | Same yearly panel as coliform. A result at or above the public-system line goes to the health department. | 10 mg/L as N (EPA public-system MCL) EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations |
| Arsenic | Invisible in the glass. Compare a certified-lab µg/L to the public-system MCL. | 0.010 mg/L / 10 µg/L (EPA public-system MCL) EPA Arsenic Rule |
| Lead | Usually a plumbing number. First-draw versus flushed changes the reading. | 0.015 mg/L public-system action level (15 ppb) EPA lead in drinking water |
Dated notes from EPA, EGLE, and MDHHS. Not headlines. Public-system MCLs do not bind a private well.
Dated notes from agency pages, not invented headlines. Public-system MCLs do not bind a private well unless the item is about a private-well statute. Bacteria or nitrate on a lab sheet still goes to the health department. This site is not medical advice.
18 May 2026
FederalEPA proposed keeping the PFOA and PFOS maximum contaminant levels at 4.0 ppt for public water systems, and letting requesting systems take until April 26, 2031 instead of April 26, 2029. The comment period closed July 20, 2026. EPA last updated that page July 23, 2026.
This is a proposal, not a final rule. It does not require a private-well owner to test or treat. Public-system MCLs do not bind a kitchen tap on a private well.
18 May 2026
FederalIn the same window, EPA separately proposed rescinding MCLs for PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA (GenX), and the Hazard Index mixture. That page was live when this note was written and is linked from the extension-rule page.
That action is still a proposal. Do not read it as those limits being gone. A private-well owner is not under that public-system rule either way.
7 October 2026
MichiganEGLE’s “How to get your drinking water tested” page still tells private-well owners to inspect the well and test for coliform bacteria and nitrates annually as routine maintenance. The same page points owners at the local health department for what else to add, names coliforms, nitrite, arsenic, and lead among standard private-well concerns, and says EPA’s private-well minimum is coliform bacteria and nitrate/nitrite. A private laboratory is found on EGLE’s Laboratory Certification Program lists. The EGLE Drinking Water Laboratory kits are ordered at 517-335-8184.
That is EGLE’s published private-well cadence, not a statewide mandate at sale and not a medical diagnosis on this site. Use a certified lab. If coliform or nitrate fails, take the sheet to the local health department.
7 October 2026
MichiganMDHHS Care for Mi Drinking Water still publishes a private-well testing schedule: every year for coliform bacteria and E. coli, nitrate, and nitrite; every three to five years for arsenic and lead; and PFAS at least once. Test also when someone in the house is pregnant, an infant or young child lives there, flooding happened near the well, the well was repaired, or taste, color, or smell changes. EGLE’s well-maintenance flyer matches the yearly bacteria/nitrate/nitrite pair and adds copper to the three-to-five-year metals list.
That is MDHHS’s published cadence, not a kitchen-tap statute. PFAS “at least once” is MDHHS guidance for private wells; public-system PFAS MCLs still do not bind a kitchen tap. Bacteria or nitrate still goes to the local health department.
MDHHS: Test your drinking water (Care for Mi Drinking Water)
MDHHS: Protect Against the Unknown (private-well testing fact sheet)
7 October 2026
MichiganEGLE’s arsenic-in-well-water page still recommends that homeowners test well water for arsenic. EGLE states that Michigan has naturally higher arsenic in groundwater, that you cannot see or taste it, and that the private-supply health-advisory recommendation is 0.010 mg/L — the same concentration as EPA’s public-system MCL. Above that line, EGLE says do not use the well for drinking or cooking until you reduce exposure. USGS’s southeast-Michigan study named Genesee, Huron, Lapeer, Livingston, Sanilac, Shiawassee, Tuscola, and Washtenaw, plus an Oakland County companion map. EGLE’s county Waterchem maps show detections in other counties as well.
A USGS study county is not a diagnosis for one well, and a county map is not a kitchen-tap result. Order a certified-lab arsenic test. Compare µg/L to 0.010 mg/L (10 µg/L) as EGLE’s published advisory, not as a private-well statute. Bacteria or nitrate on the same sheet still goes to the health department.
USGS: Naturally occurring arsenic in southeast Michigan ground water
Contaminant and parent pages
Related
See also the Michigan lab inventory, certified labs by state, and the homepage.