Orange and black stains point to iron and manganese in the well
Iron and manganese in well water leave reddish or orange stains and black stains, by EPA's description. Both limits are secondary: 0.3 mg/L for iron and 0.05 mg/L for manganese. Those are nuisance limits rather than primary health standards.
Compiled from the sources listed at the end. Sources checked .
Know your number before buying anything. Iron and manganese are both on the state's sale test, and the state health department suggests rechecking them every 5 years. Give any seller those numbers along with your pH, since acid water is common here and a low pH may change the job. Then have the treated water tested after installation.
Filtration is one route, and public systems use it too: Ocean Township's 2015 report describes greensand filtration for iron, and Beach Haven's 2025 report describes aeration and filtration. A household system is smaller, but the point is the same: the water gets treated before it stains. We found no reliable state source on iron bacteria, so we make no claims about it here.
As of January 2023, the health department reported "no State regulations for water treatment professionals," so the lab report remains your check. Our report story shows how these lines sit next to the health-based ones.
Also asked
Can orange water make me sick?
EPA classes iron under its nuisance standards. Orange water also deserves a look at the rest of your report, because a stain is not a test for anything else.
Why did my stains start suddenly?
Our sources do not give one reason. EPA says a change in color, odor or taste is a reason to test right away, so start there.