Livingston County, Michigan: drinking water report. Livingston County between Ann Arbor and Lansing has about 193,000 residents in growing communities like…
Livingston County between Ann Arbor and Lansing has about 193,000 residents in growing communities like Howell, Brighton, and Hartland. The county relies heavily on groundwater – over 60% of residents are on private wells, one of the highest rates in southeastern Michigan. The glacial geology creates a patchwork of sand and gravel aquifers interspersed with clay layers, making water quality highly variable from well to well.
PFAS contamination has been a defining issue for Livingston County. The former Livingston County Airport site and industrial operations in Howell have contributed PFAS to groundwater. According to Michigan EGLE's 2024 PFAS investigation, monitoring wells in the Howell area show PFOS at 22 ppt. The state has been conducting residential well testing in identified impact zones.
Chlorinated solvents from the former Monarch Recapping and other industrial sites add to the groundwater contamination picture. A 2024 EGLE assessment found TCE at 7 ppb in monitoring wells near the Brighton industrial area – above the MCL of 5 ppb. With 60% of the county on private wells, these localized contamination sources affect a significant number of homes.
Livingston County's high reliance on private wells means most residents are responsible for their own water quality monitoring. If your well has not been tested in the past two years, or if you live near any identified contamination site, testing is overdue.
Check your water for any available data. For the combination of PFAS and industrial solvents, reverse osmosis provides the broadest protection at the kitchen tap. Our water filter guide covers systems suited to Michigan well water. Get your detailed report for local data, and visit our Michigan page for statewide context.
Drinking water is one exposure route. These federal datasets also cover Livingston County, MI.
The EPA places Livingston County, MI in Zone 2 - a moderate-risk category, with a predicted average indoor radon level between 2 and 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.
39% of homes in Livingston County, MI were built before 1980, and 10% 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 Livingston County, MI averages 8.9 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