Serving Treasure Valley well homes
On a private well, what comes out of the ground is what comes out of your tap. Test it first, then treat what’s actually there, with a staged system sized to your results and one honest, written price.
Private wells in Idaho aren’t regulated: keeping the water safe is the owner’s job. State and university studies point to the same handful of issues. Older studies are labeled with their dates; your well can be very different from your neighbor’s, which is why testing comes first.
A 2019 Boise State / IDWR study found uranium above the 30 µg/L federal limit is present and widespread across the Treasure Valley aquifer. In its dataset, 37% of Ada County and 15.5% of Canyon County domestic wells exceeded the limit (raw well samples, not a random sample). Fewer than 2% of Ada County domestic wells are monitored for uranium by state agencies.
Boise State University / IDWR uranium study (October 2019)IDWR sampling from 1991–1994 found nitrate at or above 2.0 mg/L in 69% of shallow Treasure Valley sites. In Canyon County, data through 2003 showed a median of 4.8 mg/L in shallow wells (maximum 29.8; the limit is 10). Idaho DEQ designates the Northeast Star Nitrate Priority Area as degraded groundwater.
IDWR, Ground Water Quality in the Treasure Valley (1998, data 1991–1994)Naturally occurring in local groundwater. IDWR’s 1991–1994 sampling listed arsenic among the constituents found above federal limits in Treasure Valley wells, and its 2021 statewide sampling found 13% of sampled wells above the arsenic limit.
IDWR Statewide Program update (January 2022, 2021 sampling)IDWR’s 1991–1994 sampling found median hardness of 189 mg/L in the shallow aquifer (69% of shallow sites hard or very hard) and 114 mg/L in the deep aquifer. Hardness dropped with well depth.
IDWR, Ground Water Quality in the Treasure Valley (1998, data 1991–1994)In Star’s basalt aquifer, the water district reports discolored water from naturally occurring iron and manganese and a rotten-egg odor from hydrogen sulfide. Veolia’s 2025 report also notes iron and manganese above aesthetic guidelines at some Boise sources.
Star Sewer & Water District FAQMore detail, city by city, in our Treasure Valley water quality guide.
Step one
Idaho Health & Welfare recommends testing for bacteria and nitrate every year, and for other contaminants like arsenic, uranium and fluoride every 3 to 5 years.
Ada, Boise, Elmore and Valley counties
CDH does not hand out test kits. Its staff collect private-well samples for a fee ($145 collection plus lab fees, July 2026 fee schedule), or you can take a sample to a certified lab yourself. CDH recommends testing well water once a year for bacteria and nitrate.
Visit Central District Health · (208) 375-5211
Adams, Canyon, Gem, Owyhee, Payette and Washington counties
SWDH offers free sample bottles and a $10 courier that carries samples to the state lab on Wednesdays only (drop-off cutoffs: Payette 9:30 a.m., Emmett 10:30 a.m., Caldwell 11:00 a.m.). Lab fees are billed separately.
Visit Southwest District Health · 208-455-5400
2220 Old Penitentiary Road, Boise. Accepts private well samples. Listed prices: coliform/E. coli $21, nitrate $20, arsenic $23, uranium $23, hardness $28 (form revised 08/21/2024; current fees at StateLab.idaho.gov). Coliform samples must reach the lab within 30 hours of collection, and nitrate must be tested within 48 hours.
Idaho Bureau of Laboratories, private well owner submission form (revised 08/21/2024)State-certified private lab at 1804 N. 33rd St., Boise. Published prices include coliform/E. coli $21, nitrate $22, arsenic $24, uranium $40 and hardness $22 (prices subject to change).
Analytical Laboratories, drinking water pricesFree state well test: Idaho Health & Welfare lists a free kit covering 13 metals and chemicals (including nitrate, arsenic and uranium, but not bacteria) as available fall 2026 while funding lasts. It showed as sold out when we checked, and results can take up to two months.Check availability. Full details on our water testing page.
Step two
Every well is different, so we build the treatment train to match your lab results, not a one-size-fits-all tank.
Staged treatment for common well issues: Katalox Light media for iron and sulfur, WQA Gold Seal resin for hardness, and coconut-shell carbon for taste and odor. High-efficiency smart valves on both tanks.
For high-iron wells and strong sulfur odor: hydrogen peroxide injection with catalytic carbon converts dissolved iron and sulfur into filterable particles.
For uranium, arsenic or nitrate, the right answer depends on your levels. We’ll recommend equipment certified to NSF/ANSI standards for the specific contaminant on your lab report, usually at the kitchen sink. See ourreverse osmosis systems and the fullwhole-home lineup.
No surprise fees, no add-ons at the door, no salesman in your living room. Written quote up front: the price you see is the price you pay, installed.
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Tell us what you’re seeing (stains, smells, sediment) or send your lab report, and we’ll put together an honest, written quote for the right well system. No in-home rep, no 3-hour kitchen-table presentation, no pressure.
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