Certified well water labs in Alaska (2026)

WellTestList · Monday, October 19, 2026 · state page

Alaska has no state well-testing program: the Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) says it does not sample, test, or regulate private wells, and simply tells owners to use a State of Alaska certified lab. The good news is that several in-state certified labs post homeowner prices. In the Mat-Su, a bacteria test is $49 and bacteria + nitrate + arsenic is $155. In Anchorage, SGS’s home kit for the same three is $175. In Juneau, Admiralty Environmental’s kits run $82–$647. The catch is distance: a bacteria sample has to reach the lab within about 30 hours, so off the road system you need to plan around a lab in your hub town or a flight.

The short version

1. Every year: bacteria and nitrate, and arsenic in many areas. That’s ADEC’s minimum. Posted bundles for exactly those three: Mat-Su Test Lab Health Guard I $155 (Palmer), SGS CAN Kit $175 (Anchorage), Admiralty Standard Home Well kit $319 (Juneau).
2. Take arsenic seriously. The state geological survey has found arsenic in wells around Fairbanks, the Kenai and Seward peninsulas, the Mat-Su Valley, and Anchorage. In a 2016 state health check of 21 Fairbanks-area homes, 4 had well water from 191 to 1,140 ppb, far above the 10 ppb guideline. Softeners and carbon filters don’t remove it.
3. Selling in Anchorage? You need a COSA. Almost every title transfer of a home on a well or septic system in the Municipality of Anchorage requires a Certificate of On-Site Systems Approval. That means an engineer (or a certified driller or pump installer) samples the well for coliform, nitrate, and arsenic no more than a year before the sale. Elsewhere in Alaska, the lender usually decides what gets tested.

How Alaska’s system actually works

ADEC’s private-well guidance is short: there are no State of Alaska requirements to sample a private well, testing is the owner’s job, and samples should go to a lab on ADEC’s certified microbiology or chemistry lists. At a minimum, test for nitrate and coliform bacteria every year and, in certain areas, arsenic. Test more often if the taste, smell, or color changes, the well cap breaks, there’s flooding, a spill, or a septic failure nearby, or someone starts digging or drilling close by. If radon has been found in your home’s air, ADEC suggests testing the water for radon too. ADEC’s Environmental Health Laboratory supports state programs and certifies the private labs; we found no homeowner well-testing service there.

ADEC says only two local governments regulate private wells: the Municipality of Anchorage (well code and the COSA at sale) and the City of North Pole, which bans new wells within city limits where the sulfolane groundwater plume is, or is projected to be, 16 ppb or more. For background on arsenic, nitrate, radon, and treatment, UAF Cooperative Extension’s Contaminants in Alaska’s Water Resources is a good primer. Sources: ADEC Private Drinking Water Wells & Systems · ADEC Environmental Health Laboratory (checked Oct 19, 2026).

Options we verified

• Mat-Su Test Lab (Palmer). On ADEC’s certified chemistry and microbiology lists. Posted homeowner price list: Coliform bacteria (coliform + E. coli) $49 · Nitrate $75 · Arsenic $75 · Lead and copper $105 · Health Guard I (bacteria, nitrate, arsenic) $155 · Health Guard II (adds iron and first-draw lead/copper) $195 · Real Estate Package (coliform/E. coli, nitrate, nitrite, lead) $215 · Water Profile (salinity, TDS, pH, hardness, iron, manganese) $150 · Corrosion Check $150 · Tannins $75 · Problem Check (color, odor, taste) $295 · Comprehensive (83 items including metals and organic chemicals) $440. PFAS kits available—call. Bacteria samples accepted Monday–Thursday 8 a.m.–4 p.m. only (no bacteria on Fridays); Comprehensive kits Monday–Wednesday, or Thursday before 10 a.m. The lab says it does not sell treatment systems. 9131 E. Frontage Rd., Suite 15, Palmer · 907-745-3005. Source: matsutestlab.com price list (checked Oct 19, 2026).
• SGS North America (Anchorage). On ADEC’s certified lists. Its home drinking water submittal form (Oct 2025 revision) posts the CAN Kit $175 (total coliform, E. coli, arsenic, nitrate + nitrite; 10–15 business days) · RUSH CAN Kit $250 (about 5 business days, if available) · PIWA Kit $450 (CAN Kit plus chloride, fluoride, sulfate, 18 metals including lead, copper, iron, manganese and selenium, plus conductivity, TDS, hardness, alkalinity, pH; no rush). Pay when you drop off—cash, check, or card (+3%); results aren’t released until paid. Its bacteria form flags samples over 30 hours old as unreliable and rejects frozen samples. 200 W. Potter Dr., Anchorage · 907-562-2343. Sources: Home Drinking Water Testing form (PDF) · Total Coliform form (PDF).
• Admiralty Environmental (Juneau). On ADEC’s certified lists. Home well kits (price sheet PDF from January 2026): Coliform kit $82 (coliform/E. coli, wells or rain catchment) · Standard Home Well kit $319 (bacteria, nitrate/nitrite, total arsenic) · Real Estate Transaction kit $435 (bacteria, nitrate, nitrite, arsenic, lead; the lab says it meets State of Alaska lending requirements) · Standard Plus $647 (adds hardness, iron, manganese, copper). Bottles by office pickup or USPS; rush reporting and airport courier service available. 641 W. Willoughby Ave., Suite 301, Juneau · 907-463-4415. Source: Home well water quality testing kits (PDF).
• Alaska Water Laboratories (Wasilla) — call for fees. On ADEC’s certified lists. Ships kits statewide and offers courier from airports. Alaska Well Kit 1 (coliform, nitrate + nitrite, arsenic), Kit 2 (adds pH, alkalinity, TDS, hardness, corrosivity, iron, manganese, calcium, magnesium), Kit 3 (adds first-draw lead/copper); also third-party sampling and well-flow tests for lenders, and uranium, radon, and PFAS methods. No prices are posted, so we don’t list any. 281 N. Main St., Suite 101, Wasilla · 907-373-6130 · Mary@AKWaterLabs.com. Source: akwaterlabs.com.
• Pollen Environmental (Fairbanks) — call for fees. On ADEC’s certified lists. Basic Well Water Package (coliform, nitrate, arsenic) and a Well Water Treatment Package (adds hardness, iron, manganese, and corrosivity); lead, copper, and sodium on request. No posted prices. 3039 Davis Rd., Suite A, Fairbanks · 907-479-8368 · Monday–Friday 9–4. Source: Pollen Environmental services.

Off the road system: bacteria labs in hub towns

Bacteria samples are the hard part in rural Alaska, because they have to reach a lab within about 30 hours, kept cool but not frozen. ADEC’s certified microbiology list includes labs in these communities that don’t carry its “does not accept samples from the public” mark. Call first—hours, fees, and bottles vary, and some are utility or clinic labs: Bethel YKHC Water Lab 907-543-6421 · Nome NSHC Environmental Health 907-443-3294 · Dillingham BBAHC Environmental Health 907-842-3396 · Kodiak Kodiak Water Laboratory 907-486-8076 · Ketchikan Full Cycle 907-228-7784 or R&M Engineering 907-225-7917 · Petersburg Medical Center Lab 907-772-4291 · Sitka City & Borough lab 907-747-4060 · Cordova 907-424-6338 · Valdez 907-835-4900 · Dutch Harbor Makushin Bay Resources 907-581-4904 or City of Unalaska 907-581-4337 · Prudhoe Bay Arctic Fox 907-659-2145 · Wasilla Erdman & Associates 907-376-6989 · Soldotna Tauriainen Environmental Testing (TET). Not open to the public: the Anchorage water utility, Golden Heart Utilities in Fairbanks, Eielson AFB, and Maniilaq in Kotzebue. Source: ADEC certified microbiology labs (ADEC Microbiology Certification Officer 907-375-8209). Chemistry tests like nitrate and arsenic travel much better than bacteria, so you can mail those even when you can’t get bacteria to a lab in time.

Buying or selling a home with a well

• Anchorage (COSA). Since August 18, 1998, the Municipality of Anchorage has required a Certificate of On-Site Systems Approval for title transfers of properties served by an on-site well or septic system. Transfers between spouses or to a family trust are exempt. A registered engineer inspects the system. Water samples for arsenic, coliform bacteria, and nitrate must be taken by the engineer or their employee, or a certified well driller or pump installer, and analyzed by a state-certified lab. Results more than 365 days old aren’t accepted. Coliform must be negative; arsenic over 10 µg/L or nitrate of 5–10 mg/L gets an advisory (arsenic alone doesn’t deny the COSA); nitrate over 10 mg/L triggers more investigation. A well-yield test is also part of it (150 gallons per bedroom per day recommended). Sources: MOA COSA page · COSA Guidelines, revised April 2025 (PDF).
• Everywhere else. We found no statewide rule requiring a well test at sale. Alaska Housing Finance Corporation’s homebuyer guide says the lender may not require a well approval but that it’s wise to get one, and it lists “Basic Water Quality,” “PIWA Water,” and “Well Flow” among possible closing costs. Posted real-estate packages: Mat-Su Test Lab $215, Admiralty $435; SGS’s PIWA Kit is $450. Ask your lender which analytes and who must collect the sample. Source: AHFC HomeChoice book (PDF).

What to test for in Alaska

• Coliform bacteria / E. coli and nitrate: every year (ADEC minimum). Mat-Su $49 + $75; Admiralty coliform kit $82. If nitrate comes back over 5 ppm, UAF Extension suggests retesting once or twice a year to see whether it’s rising.
• Arsenic: often, if you’re near Fairbanks, the Mat-Su, Anchorage, or the Kenai or Seward peninsulas. The state geological survey (DGGS) and health department advise testing yearly, since levels can shift with the seasons or after earthquakes. Boiling, chlorine, softeners, and carbon filters don’t remove arsenic. Look for NSF-certified reverse osmosis or adsorptive media. Mat-Su $75 alone; included in Health Guard I $155, SGS CAN Kit $175, Admiralty $319. Sources: DGGS Arsenic in Groundwater · State of Alaska Epidemiology Bulletin No. 14, 2016 (PDF).
• Lead and copper: if you have older plumbing or corrosive water. Mat-Su $105; in Mat-Su Health Guard II $195 and Admiralty Standard Plus $647.
• Radon and uranium: ADEC suggests a radon-in-water test if radon shows up in your home’s air. It doesn’t flag uranium statewide, but the Tap Score panel below includes uranium, and Alaska Water Laboratories lists uranium and radon methods (call for price).
• PFAS and fuel/solvents: near airports with firefighting-foam history (DOT&PF has sampled private wells around Fairbanks International and Gustavus), and sulfolane in North Pole. For PFAS, ask Mat-Su Test Lab or Alaska Water Laboratories about kits; see also DOT&PF Alaska PFAS information.

Mail-in kits (for a broader PDF)

These independent labs mail you bottles, run the tests, and email a PDF. Neither one sells softeners. Prices were checked tonight. In Alaska, they’re best for the broad metals-and-minerals panel (including arsenic and uranium). Getting a bacteria sample from rural Alaska to a Lower 48 lab fast enough is the weak spot, so for bacteria use an in-state certified lab when you can. Mail-in results also won’t satisfy Anchorage’s COSA, which requires an engineer, driller, or pump installer to collect the sample.

• Tap Score / SimpleLab Essential Well: $209 listed (54 analytes including arsenic, uranium, and coliform/E. coli; prepaid return shipping included).
• National Testing Laboratories WaterCheck Basic: $220 listed. It requires next-day return shipping, which isn’t included and may not be possible from rural Alaska.

On the road system, the cheapest way to cover ADEC’s yearly basics plus arsenic is a posted bundle: Mat-Su Test Lab’s $155 Health Guard I in Palmer, SGS’s $175 CAN Kit in Anchorage, or Admiralty’s $319 kit in Juneau. Every few years, add metals and corrosion (Mat-Su $150–$195, SGS PIWA $450). Off the road system, call the certified lab in your hub town about bacteria, and mail the chemistry. Selling in Anchorage? Budget for the COSA, with its engineer-collected arsenic, nitrate, and bacteria samples.

Side by side for an Alaska well

On a phone, the table scrolls sideways.

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