Contact: Nicholas Howell, Source Water Protection Analyst, Nicholas.Howell@deq.idaho.gov.
BOISE – The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is reaching out to private domestic well owners within the Minidoka Nitrate Priority Area in Minidoka County to participate in a sampling event in September 2026.
DEQ maintains a list of degraded groundwater areas throughout the state, which are referred to as nitrate priority areas. The Minidoka Nitrate Priority Area sampling event will revisit sites sampled by DEQ and other agencies. The sampling data will be used in the nitrate priority area delineation and ranking process that evaluates nitrate trends in Idaho’s groundwater.
This groundwater sampling effort will come at no cost to the participating well owners. Individual sample results will be provided to private well owner.
Groundwater is the source of drinking water for 95% of Idahoans. It can become degraded due to presence of contaminants. Nitrate is the most common and widespread contaminant in Idaho’s groundwater and can cause serious health problems.
Nitrate exposure can lead to serious health effects and prevent the body’s ability to use oxygen. Infants less than 6 months old may become seriously ill if they drink water with nitrate concentrations greater than 10 milligrams per liter. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blue-baby syndrome, also known as Methemoglobinemia. Boiling contaminated water cannot remove nitrate.
If you are interested in seeing if your well qualifies, contact Nicholas Howell, Source Water Analyst at the DEQ Twin Falls Regional Office, at (208) 736-2190 or Nicholas.Howell@deq.idaho.gov by August 30, 2026.