Well water testing around Springfield: a county-by-county guide

Missouri doesn't make you test a private well — with one local exception covered below — so most people only think about it after a pump repair, a new house, or water that suddenly tastes or looks wrong. The good news is that testing here is cheap and run through public health offices. The catch is that every county does it a little differently: different fees, different drop-off days, and a short window between filling the bottle and getting it to the lab. Here's how it works in each county around Springfield, checked against each health department's own published information in October 2026. Fees and hours change, so call before you drive in.

What to test for, and how often

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services runs private-well testing through the State Public Health Laboratory in Jefferson City, and you get the sample kit from your local public health agency. Bacteria results come back as present or absent for total coliform and E. coli — not a number.

• Every year: total coliform bacteria, E. coli, and nitrate. The Webster County Health Unit also recommends total dissolved solids and pH.
• After any work on the well — a pump pulled, a pressure tank or pitless adapter replaced, a new well cap — test for bacteria once the system's been disinfected and the chlorine has flushed out.
• When anything changes: cloudy water after heavy rain, a new taste or smell, or flooding or digging near the wellhead.
• A brand-new well: the state's "New Well Series" checks fluoride, chloride, nitrate, sulfate, iron, manganese and lead. A full minerals-and-metals panel (29 items, including arsenic and uranium) is also available — see the state's chemical testing page.

Why bother on a deep, cased well? Because around Springfield the ground above the aquifer is karst — fractured limestone with sinkholes and losing streams — and surface water can travel a long way, fast. A cracked casing, a loose cap, or a well opened up for a pump job is all it takes for bacteria to get in.

Greene County (Springfield, Republic, Willard, Strafford)

West of Springfield? See well pump repair around Republic.

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department lab at 227 E. Chestnut Expressway runs the tests itself. Published fees: standard bacteria test $13 for Greene County residents ($48 from outside the county); nitrate, iron, hardness, sulfate and chlorine $8 each. Kits can be picked up Monday–Friday 8:00–4:30; filled samples are taken Monday–Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and not the day before a holiday closure. Lead and other chemical tests go to the state lab. Lab phone: 417-864-1669.

Christian County (Nixa, Ozark, Clever, Sparta)

Pump trouble first? See well pump repair around Nixa or around Ozark.

The Christian County Health Department, 301 E. Brick St. in Ozark, has its own certified lab. A bacteria (present/absent) test is $15; it also offers a chemical analysis for pH, nitrate, chloride, sulfate, fluoride, iron, manganese and lead. If you need an official test, staff can collect the sample for $40. Pick up the bottle first, then drop the sample off Monday–Thursday, 8:00–noon or 1:00–4:00. Bacteria results are ready after 4:00 p.m. the next business day. Phone: 417-581-7285.

Webster County (Marshfield, Fordland, Rogersville, Seymour)

For pump problems on Webster County wells, see well pump repair around Marshfield.

The Webster County Health Unit, 233 E. Washington St. in Marshfield, hands out both bacteria and chemical kits. The important detail: a filled kit has to be back at the health unit the same day you collect it, before 11:30 a.m., so it can ride the daily courier to the state lab. The state lab is closed on Missouri state holidays, so don't sample the day before one. Phone: 417-859-2532.

Polk County (Bolivar, Pleasant Hope, Humansville)

For pump problems on Polk County wells, see well pump repair around Bolivar.

Polk County residents go through the Polk County Health Center in Bolivar (1317 W. Broadway, 417-326-7250) for a state lab kit. We couldn't find a published fee schedule or drop-off days, so call before you sample. Around pasture and feedlot ground, nitrate is worth adding to the bacteria test.

Jasper County (Joplin, Carthage, Webb City, Carl Junction)

For pump problems around Joplin, see well pump repair in Jasper and Newton County.

Jasper County is the one place around here with a local testing rule. Because of the area's lead mining and smelting history, the county's environmental contamination ordinance requires every property with a private well to have the water tested for lead and cadmium when the property is sold or transferred, and the sample has to be collected by a DNR-certified sampler — the county health department can give you names. The county points to EPA action levels and strongly recommends treatment if a well exceeds them. Environmental Services: 417-358-0481. For routine bacteria testing, your local health department can provide a state lab kit.

Getting a good sample

• Use only the bottle from the kit, and don't rinse it — some bottles contain a preservative.
• Take the sample from a cold-water tap that doesn't run through a softener or filter, and take off any aerator or screen.
• Run the water a few minutes before you fill, don't touch the inside of the cap or bottle, and fill to the line.
• Keep it cool and get it in the same day. The state lab has to test bacteria samples within 48 hours of collection, which is why the counties limit drop-off days.
• If total coliform comes back present but E. coli doesn't, the state suggests resampling to confirm before you do anything drastic.

If the test comes back positive

A positive bacteria result usually means something is letting surface water in — a cracked casing, a bad well cap or seal, a pitless adapter that's failing, or contamination from a recent repair. Shock-chlorinating the well is the usual first step, followed by a retest once the chlorine is gone. If it keeps coming back, the well itself needs a look, and that's a job for a licensed pump installer. Missouri DHSS publishes a guide to disinfecting a private well.

Had a pump pulled or a tank replaced recently? Ask the contractor whether they disinfected the well before they left, then test. See what a pump replacement involves and the checks to do when you've got no water.