About 27% of the county's 9,691 residents. Rank 9 of 105 in Kansas.
95% range 114 to 171 private-well users (2010 base year). Rank 13 of 105 in Kansas.
Highest potential (average indoor radon may be greater than 4 pCi/L). EPA says the map should not be used to decide whether an individual home needs testing.
Labs with an address in this county, from the official state lists on this site, matched by ZIP code.
What to test for in Pratt County
Private wells are not regulated like public water: EPA advises owners to test their well every year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH. Your state's own schedule:
- The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and K-State Research and Extension recommend annual water tests for coliform bacteria and nitrate. Testing for common impurities and nuisance contaminants is recommended every one to three years, with possible extra testing after chemical spills or flooding. source
- K-State lists situations that suggest special or more frequent bacteria tests: flooding near the well, a well near confined livestock pens, a change in water color, turbidity, odor or taste, recurring digestive illness in people or animals, and after repair of the well or plumbing. source
- K-State's well maintenance guide recommends testing private wells annually at a minimum; annual maintenance should include testing for coliform bacteria, nitrate, pH and total dissolved solids. source
Arsenic. USGS estimates that about 139 people using private wells in Pratt County had arsenic above 10 µg/L, EPA's limit for public water (2010 base year; 95% range 114 to 171). USGS describes this kind of estimate as useful "for broad screening of the population at risk", so it says nothing certain about any one well. Arsenic has no taste or smell: test for it by name.
Radon. EPA puts Pratt County in Zone 1: highest potential (average indoor radon may be greater than 4 pCi/L). That map is about radon in indoor air, and EPA says it should not be used to decide whether an individual home needs testing. If radon is found in your air and you have a well, EPA suggests testing the water too: see radon in well water.
For anything specific to your home (farms nearby, old plumbing, a new baby, a smell or stain), use the which-tests checklist. When the results arrive, check your numbers against EPA's limits.
Show the numbers
| Item | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Reno County | 635 people (2010 base year) | |
| Sedgwick County | 446 people (2010 base year) | |
| Seward County | 338 people (2010 base year) | |
| Ford County | 335 people (2010 base year) | |
| Grant County | 249 people (2010 base year) | |
| Pratt County (this county) | 139 people (2010 base year) |
USGS model estimate for broad screening, not a measurement of any well. Only a test tells you about your own well. Source: USGS, Estimated county level domestic well population with arsenic greater than 10 micrograms per liter (Ayotte, Medalie and Qi, 2017), accessed 2026-11-01.
PFAS in public water near Pratt County (public supply, not your well)
This is public water data, not your well. A private well draws its own groundwater, which can have more or less PFAS than the public supply nearby. Only a test of your well tells you.
Under EPA’s fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5), public water systems sampled their water for 29 PFAS between Jan 3, 2023 and Jun 17, 2026. 1 public system that serve ZIP codes mainly in Pratt County reported results. 1 of them had at least one sample with PFOA or PFOS at or above 4.0 ng/L, and 1 had at least one of the 29 PFAS measured at or above its reporting level.
| Public water system | System ID | Highest PFOA (ng/L) | Highest PFOS (ng/L) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pratt, City Of | KS2015103 | 4.1 |
4.0 ng/L (parts per trillion) is both EPA’s UCMR 5 reporting level for PFOA and PFOS and the number in EPA’s 2024 limit for public water. That limit is judged on a running annual average, so one sample at that level is not a violation. EPA proposed changes to its PFAS rules in May 2026: see PFAS in well water for the current status and who should test a well. To test your own well, find a lab certified for PFAS.
Method: a system counts for this county when it reports serving a ZIP code whose largest land part is in this county, so a system serving several counties counts in each. Source: U.S. EPA, UCMR 5 occurrence data (by state), file dated Oct 15, 2026; downloaded Nov 1, 2026.
Testing programs and help in Kansas
- Water test kits are available at most local K-State Research and Extension offices, and local health or environmental offices may have kits too. Help understanding a test report may be available from the testing lab, your county health or environmental office, KDHE or K-State Research and Extension. source
Buying a home with a well in Pratt County
Loan test (FHA, VA, USDA) in Pratt County, KS
- VA. Test results are valid for 90 days from the date the local health authority certifies them, unless the local authority says otherwise. VA’s chapter names no list of contaminants: the water must meet the local health authority’s requirements, or EPA guidelines where it has none. Your lender may ask for specific tests.
- FHA. A well test is required in the situations FHA’s handbook lists, among others, and the report may not be more than 180 days old at disbursement.
- USDA. Guaranteed loans need a water quality test for a private well, done by the local health authority or a state-certified lab, and no more than 180 days old at closing.
Lenders can ask for more (extra tests, a particular lab, who takes the sample): ask your lender before you book. Federal rules as read on Nov 3, 2026 source 1 source 2 source 3. Full comparison: VA, FHA and USDA well water test requirements. Loan test kits sold by mail, with price and days to results: kits compared.
State-certified labs in Pratt County
None of the labs on our Kansas list has an address in Pratt County. Labs elsewhere in the state may take samples by mail or courier: ask the lab, and check the hold time for bacteria before you send one.
Labs on the Kansas list whose own websites say they take homeowner samples: Johnson County Water Quality Laboratory (Olathe). Use Check my ZIP to sort labs by distance.
See all Kansas labs in the finder and filter by the test you need and by labs that take homeowner samples.
- USGS, Estimated use of water in the United States, county-level data for 2015 (Dieter et al., ver. 2.0, 2018)
- USGS, Estimated county level domestic well population with arsenic greater than 10 micrograms per liter (Ayotte, Medalie and Qi, 2017)
- U.S. EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county list (EPA 402/A-16/001)
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 ZCTA to county relationship file (lab ZIP codes to counties)
- KDHE Approved Laboratory Search (AB Manager public database, Matrix: Drinking Water) (Live database, searched 2026-11-15 ("believed to be accurate at the time of the search"))
Filter by the test you need and by labs that take homeowner samples.
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