Is Cottage Grove, MN tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 2 utilities serving Cottage Grove has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Minnesota’s records: Hastings.
Cottage Grove, which serves the most people here, has 3 results above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 2.9 ppb, above the health goal. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
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 Cottage Grove’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Cottage Grove
Minnesota · serves 42,760 people · about 38,200 in Cottage Grove
3 results above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 2.9 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Hastings
Minnesota · serves 23,222 people · about 560 in Cottage Grove
1 result above the legal limit, 2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate at 6.8 ppm, above the legal limit.
2 health-based violations since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Cottage Grove’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic, Lead
Aquasana SmartFlow Reverse Osmosis (AQ-SFRO2)
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic, Lead
Brondell Capella RC250 Reverse Osmosis System
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic, Lead
Water testing near Cottage Grove
The 3 labs Minnesota certifies closest to Cottage Grove, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. - Burnsville
Burnsville, MN · about 18 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate
Pace Analytical Services, LLC - Minneapolis
Minneapolis, MN · about 22 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals
Tri-City/William Lloyd Analytical Lab
Bloomington, MN · about 22 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, metals
Which ZIP codes are in Cottage Grove: 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 Cottage Grove
Other towns in Washington County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Cottage Grove’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for ArsenicRanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best reverse osmosis systems, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water