Jackson County, Michigan: drinking water report. Jackson County in south-central Michigan has about 158,000 residents.
Jackson County in south-central Michigan has about 158,000 residents. The City of Jackson operates its own water system drawing from wells and the Grand River, while surrounding townships rely on a mix of municipal connections and private wells. Manufacturing has been the economic backbone here for over a century, and the legacy of that industry shows up in the groundwater.
The former Aeroquip-Vickers industrial complex contaminated groundwater in central Jackson with chlorinated solvents including TCE and 1,4-dioxane. According to the EPA's Superfund program data, the site has been under remediation since the 1980s but contaminant plumes continue to affect nearby drinking water wells. Michigan EGLE's 2024 monitoring documented 1,4-dioxane at 12 ppb in one monitoring well – above Michigan's cleanup criterion of 7.2 ppb.
Jackson County also falls within the zone of concern for PFAS from the former W.K. Kellogg Airport, where AFFF use has been documented. The EPA's UCMR5 results showed PFAS detections in the City of Jackson's water supply, though concentrations were below the new federal MCLs at the time of testing.
Private well owners in Jackson County should prioritize testing for 1,4-dioxane and chlorinated solvents, particularly if you live near industrial areas or the Aeroquip-Vickers site. Municipal water users benefit from treatment at the plant level, but household filtration adds a second layer of protection.
Check your water for the latest results at your location. Reverse osmosis is effective against both 1,4-dioxane and PFAS. Our water filter guide evaluates systems by certified contaminant removal. For historical data and trends, pull your detailed report. Visit our Michigan page for context across the state.
Drinking water is one exposure route. These federal datasets also cover Jackson County, MI.
The EPA places Jackson County, MI in Zone 1 - the EPA's highest-risk category, where the predicted average indoor radon level is above 4 pCi/L. Zone maps predict an area's radon potential from geology and existing indoor readings; they say nothing about a specific house. Testing is the only way to know your own level.
68% of homes in Jackson County, MI were built before 1980, and 30% before 1950. Residential lead paint was banned in 1978, so housing age is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This describes the county's housing stock, not any one home.
Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) in Jackson County, MI averages 8.8 µg/m³, within the EPA's annual standard of 9 µg/m³. These are CDC modelled county estimates rather than readings from a specific monitor.
How radon zones work · Air quality by county · Lead exposure guide