Is Otsego, MN tap water safe?
The short answer
2 of the 8 utilities serving Otsego have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Minnesota’s records: Joint Powers Water Board and The Meadows.
Otsego, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the health goal. The worst: Uranium at 3.3 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 Otsego’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Otsego
Minnesota · serves 19,000 people · about 3,400 in Otsego
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Uranium at 3.3 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Elk River
Minnesota · serves 19,532 people · about 3,400 in Otsego
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 2.0 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Joint Powers Water Board
Minnesota · serves 30,922 people · about 3,400 in Otsego
1 result above the action level and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Copper at 1.6 ppm, above the action level.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Monticello
Minnesota · serves 15,087 people · about 1,400 in Otsego
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 4.0 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Rogers
Minnesota · serves 14,430 people · about 500 in Otsego
1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 20.4 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
The Meadows
Minnesota · serves 1,000 people · about 110 in Otsego
1 result above the legal limit and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: Nitrate at 6.4 ppm, above the legal limit.
3 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Windsor Oaks Development
Minnesota · serves 80 people · under 100 in Otsego
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 2.7 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Ridges of Rice Lake Housing Development
Minnesota · serves 180 people · under 100 in Otsego
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 2.9 ppb, above the health goal.
No health-based violations since 2016
Water testing near Otsego
The 3 labs Minnesota certifies closest to Otsego, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Water Laboratories, Inc.
Elk River, MN · about 7 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals
Engel Water Testing, Inc.
Minnetrista, MN · about 18 miles
Certified for bacteria
EMSL Analytical, Inc.
New Hope, MN · about 22 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals
Which ZIP codes are in Otsego: 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 Otsego
Other towns in Wright County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Otsego’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- About UraniumWhat it does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Uranium
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water