Is Baxter, MN tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 2 utilities serving Baxter has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Minnesota’s records: Brainerd.
Baxter, which serves the most people here, has nothing above a health goal in EPA’s and Minnesota’s records. That data covers what its report lists, not everything.
A town can be served by more than one utility, and some homes are on private wells. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours, and your ZIP code narrows it down. They are listed by how many people each serves in Baxter’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Baxter
Minnesota · serves 9,341 people · about 7,700 in Baxter
Nothing in its records is above a health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Brainerd
Minnesota · serves 14,670 people · under 100 in Baxter
1 result above the action level and 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Copper at 1.6 ppm, above the action level.
No health-based violations since 2016
Water testing near Baxter
The 3 labs Minnesota certifies closest to Baxter, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
A.W. Research Laboratories, Inc.
Brainerd, MN · about 4 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals
Traut Water Analysis Lab
St. Joseph, MN · about 46 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate
Steven M. Traut Wells, Inc.
Alexandria, MN · about 65 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate
Which ZIP codes are in Baxter: Census 2020 relationship files. Which utilities serve them, and how many people: EPA SDWIS and EPA’s service area map. Each utility’s results: EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, and EPA’s and the state’s compliance monitoring, as its report lists them. How they are measured: methodology. Certified labs: Minnesota Department of Health, accredited labs in Minnesota accepting drinking water samples from private well users; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.
Near Baxter
Towns nearby with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Baxter’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Decide if you want a filter at allA filter for taste or chlorine is a preference, not a need. The standards say what each kind can do.NSF/ANSI standards, decoded
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water