Many Maine residents access their drinking water from private wells, and those wells can, occasionally, contain metals or bacteria harmful to human health. Some 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.
Well owners should test their private drinking water annually for coliform bacteria, E. coli, and nitrates and nitrites.
It is also recommended that well owners test their water every 3-5 years for
- arsenic
- chloride
- copper
- fluoride
- hardness
- iron
- lead
- magnesium
- manganese
- pH
- radon
- sodium
- uranium
When testing your drinking water, consider using an accredited laboratory (PDF). While there are many great laboratories serving the people of Maine, benefits of using an accredited lab include known testing methods, recognized quality control and assurance practices, and regulatory access, meaning that Maine Laboratory Accreditation Officers are able to assist customers with questions concerning their water test results.
- If you have never tested your well water, we recommend doing a comprehensive or standard water tests for everything listed above.
- 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