Well water testing in Anne Arundel County, Maryland (2026)

WellTestList · Monday, November 2, 2026 · county page · back to the Maryland page

Anne Arundel County has an estimated 45,695 households on private wells by EPA’s 2020 model. Most of the county is on public water, but the wells that remain sit in Coastal Plain sand aquifers with a known problem: north of Route 50, the county health department says two out of every three wells it has tested are over the drinking water limit for radium. A routine bacteria test won’t find it. Here is who to call, what the county charges, the certified lab in Annapolis with posted prices, and what to test for depending on where you live.

The short version

1. Test bacteria and nitrate every year. Water Testing Labs of Maryland, which has a certified lab in Annapolis, posts an $85 bacteria kit and a $125 kit that adds nitrate, turbidity and pH. If a certified sampler needs to collect the water, its package for Anne Arundel is $175.
2. North of Route 50? Test for radium. The county health department does a gross alpha screen for $125 and a radium 226/228 test for $158, sample collection included. In a 1998 state and federal study, 49% of wells in central and northern Anne Arundel were over the radium limit.
3. On the Mayo or Edgewater peninsula? Test arsenic. In 2006 the county found 35 of 71 wells in Saunders Point over the arsenic limit. It costs $55 at Water Testing Labs.
4. Near Gambrills (Route 175 and Route 3)? The county has found high nitrate in shallow wells there. Test nitrate every year.
5. Buying a house? Since October 2024, Maryland requires a water test before settlement unless the buyer waives it in writing. The minimum is bacteria, nitrate and turbidity, which misses radium and arsenic, so add the test for your area.

Who to call

• Anne Arundel County Department of Health, Well Water Program. 3 Harry S. Truman Parkway, Annapolis, MD 21401 · 410-222-7398. This office takes the radium and gross alpha requests, explains results, and can talk you through treatment or a replacement well. Its wells and well water page links the county’s investigations and forms.
• County well permits and records. New and replacement well permits: 410-222-7193 or hdwelldesk@aacounty.org. Well records (driller logs, depths): 410-222-7189.
• Maryland Department of the Environment, Be Well Wise. 410-537-3784. MDE keeps the list of certified drinking water labs (revised October 1, 2026) and the state rules for home-sale testing.

What the county health department charges

Anne Arundel’s health department does its own sampling for radium. Its Well Water Analysis Request for Radium lists these fees. The county collects the sample, and the check goes to the Anne Arundel County Controller.

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For a new well’s Certificate of Potability, the county’s well installation guidelines say bacteria, chemical, arsenic and cadmium tests can come from a Maryland-certified private lab or the county, but the radionuclide test is done only by the county health department.

A certified lab in Anne Arundel with posted prices

MDE’s October 2026 list shows few private labs in the county that take homeowner well samples. The one with a public price list is Water Testing Labs of Maryland. Its Annapolis lab (MDE certification #134) is certified for bacteria, and its Stevensville lab on Kent Island (#214) handles the chemistry. Its FAQ says it doesn’t sell or recommend water treatment.

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Also close: Chesapeake Environmental Laboratory in Stevensville (MDE #181, 410-643-0800) is certified for bacteria, inorganics, metals and arsenic, but doesn’t post homeowner prices, so call for a quote. The other certified labs in the county are utility labs (the county’s Millersville lab and the Fort Meade water lab) that test public systems. We left out an Annapolis lab whose homeowner page offers water conditioning units alongside its tests. We only list labs we could verify, and we skip anyone who sells water treatment. A free in-home water test from a softener company is a sales visit, not a certified lab test.

What’s in Anne Arundel County groundwater

The county health department has mapped five groundwater problem areas. Where your house sits decides what to test beyond bacteria and nitrate.

• Radium (northern Anne Arundel, generally north of Route 50). A 1997–98 county pilot found radium in 22 northern wells, 15 of them over the federal limit. The follow-up study by the Maryland Geological Survey and USGS (Report of Investigations 70) found radium 226 plus 228 over 5 pCi/L in 60 of 122 samples (49%) from the Magothy, Patapsco and Patuxent aquifers in central and northern Anne Arundel, with values up to 66 pCi/L. The county’s radium page says two out of three wells it has tested exceed the standard. Radium is worst in shallow wells and acidic water, and wells screened deeper than 300 feet were almost always under the limit. Since March 2002, new and replacement wells there must be drilled to a minimum depth of 250 to 500 feet and pass a radium test. No rule makes an existing well meet the limit, so testing is up to you.
• Acidic water and iron. In the same study, 71 of 122 samples had a pH below 4.5. Water that acidic corrodes plumbing and pulls lead and copper from it, so test lead at the tap once. The Maryland Geological Survey says the Magothy aquifer in southern Anne Arundel has iron at levels that need treatment. Iron over 0.3 mg/L stains fixtures and laundry but isn’t a health limit.
• Arsenic and cadmium (Annapolis/Edgewater peninsula, Mayo). In 2006 the county sampled 71 wells in Saunders Point and found arsenic over the standard in 35, especially in shallower wells. It then found 38 more wells over the limit in the surrounding Mayo area. New wells there must go at least 300 feet deep. The Aquia aquifer on the peninsula also has cadmium. Low-interest loans and grants for a replacement well or treatment are open to income-eligible owners; ask 410-222-7398.
• Nitrate (Gambrills). The county found elevated nitrate in private wells near Route 175 and Route 3, just east of the old Naval Academy dairy farm. New wells there must be sealed into a confined aquifer below 140 feet. Over 10 mg/L is a risk for babies under six months, and boiling makes it worse.
• Solvents (Fort Meade and Odenton). TCE, PCE and carbon tetrachloride from Fort Meade have reached the Lower Patapsco aquifer under part of Odenton, and a cleanup system has been running since 2014. Near there, ask the county whether your well is in the testing area, and get a VOC test.
• Saltwater (Annapolis Neck). New wells must be screened at least 270 feet down to stay out of saltwater. Test chloride if your water tastes salty.
• PFAS. We found no county or state survey of PFAS in Anne Arundel private wells. MDE’s private well PFAS fact sheet leaves testing to the owner and lists the federal limits of 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS. If you live near a base, airport or fire training site, test once. Water Testing Labs posts $395 and $495 PFAS kits, and our PFAS page covers which method to ask for.
• Radon. Anne Arundel is in Zone 2 (moderate) on EPA’s radon map. Test the air in your house first. If it comes back high, test the well water too.

These findings describe neighborhoods, not your lot. Wells close to each other can test very differently, so only your own test tells you.

New wells and home sales

New wells. A licensed master well driller gets the permit from the county health department. Before you can move in, the county has to issue a Certificate of Potability, which needs a chemical test, two bacteria tests in a row, and arsenic, cadmium and radium tests where the county requires them. The certificate of occupancy waits until the Certificate of Potability is issued (county guidelines).

Home sales. Maryland’s Private Well Safety Act added Real Property § 10-713, effective October 1, 2024. A contract to buy a house with a private well must require the buyer to have the water tested, and settlement can’t happen until both sides have the results, unless the buyer waives it in writing. The minimum is bacteria, nitrate and turbidity, and results are good for three years. Use a certified sampler and a certified lab. A kit you collect yourself probably won’t count, so ask first. North of Route 50, add a gross alpha test, and on the Mayo peninsula add arsenic. More on lenders and chain of custody: our home purchase / lender page.

Mail-in kits that email a PDF

If you want metals, minerals and VOCs in one report, independent mail-in labs ship to Anne Arundel County. Listed prices checked November 2, 2026:

• Tap Score / SimpleLab Essential Well: $209. It covers coliform and E. coli, nitrate and nitrite, and 25 metals including arsenic, uranium, manganese and lead, plus sodium and chloride. It doesn’t test radium, VOCs, radon or PFAS.
• Tap Score / SimpleLab Advanced Well: $399. It adds VOCs and common petroleum compounds, which matters near Odenton, and includes overnight shipping to the lab.
• National Testing Laboratories WaterCheck Basic: $220. It covers bacteria, 22 metals and minerals (arsenic included), and 7 inorganic chemicals. Next-day return shipping isn’t included, so budget for it on the bacteria bottle.

None of these kits test radium, so north of Route 50 you still need the county’s $125 gross alpha test. For the yearly bacteria and nitrate test, Water Testing Labs’ $125 kit is cheaper. Mail-in kits make sense once, for a wide first look at metals and chemicals. They don’t count for a home sale or a Certificate of Potability.

Side by side for an Anne Arundel County well

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Related: Maryland well testing · York County, PA · Lancaster County, PA · Chester County, PA · How to read a well water report · PFAS 533 / 537.1 · Home purchase / lender · back to the directory.