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Private Well Water

Private Well Water Safety and Testing

Your water looks, smells, and tastes fine, but it may not be safe to drink. Many Maine wells have too much arsenic, uranium, radon, or other harmful chemicals. The only way to know if your water is safe to drink is to test it.

1 in 10 wells in Maine has too much arsenic, uranium, radon, or other harmful chemicals. The only way to know if your water is safe to drink is to test it. Fill out this form to receive more information, a list of certified labs to order your well water test, or a free DVD about how to test your well water.

Want to talk to a well water expert?

The Drinking Water Program can provide free help to private well owners who have questions about their wells, water sampling, and water treatment. (A "private well" being any well that is not regulated by the DWP as a Public Water System.)

This service offers property owners assistance with…

  • General well questions – Specialty Well applications, ideal well location, and potential threats to wells and water quality.
  • Drinking water and well drilling rules, best practices, and construction standards such as casing requirements and setbacks to septic systems.
  • Sampling – help with sample collection, explanation of test results, and follow-up testing. Guidance on laboratories is also available.
  • Water Quality Review – contaminants and the need for treatment.
  • Treatment – exposure risk assessment and treatment types to consider.
  • Disinfection advice on proper methods and products.
  • Potential conflicts between homeowners and drillers, abutting landowners, and local officials.

There is no charge for private well technical assistance; this is a free service of the Maine CDC Drinking Water Program.

To learn more, please contact April Bledsoe: Email, or phone (207) 215-7124.

The Environmental Health Unit can also help you figure out what to test for, and what your test results mean. Call 866-292-3474 toll-free in Maine, or 207-287-4311, TTY: Call Maine Relay 711. Email: ehu@maine.gov

Testing Your Well Water

  • Test your well water once a year for bacteria and nitrates and every 5 years for arsenic, fluoride, uranium, radon, lead, and manganese. Find a lab that is certified to test your well water (Word).
  • If you have never tested your well water, we recommend doing a comprehensive or standard water test.
  • Other times to test your well include:
    • If you are expecting a baby
    • Your water changes in smell, taste, and color
    • Your well runs dry and comes back
    • When buying a new home
    • After installing a water treatment system or replacing parts of your treatment system
    • After any work is done on your well
  • Find a lab certified to test water for Radon

Arsenic

A study of arsenic in Maine well water answers important questions about bathing and treatment options.  

Resources

Common Well Water Contaminants