Well Water Quality

The Environmental and Occupational Health Programs provide advice to private well owners on well water safety. We are available by telephone to provide help interpreting the results of well water tests. Call us at 866-292-3474 (toll-free in Maine), or 207-287-4311, or Maine Relay 711.

Resources for Private Well Owners

• Wellwater.maine.gov - A website to link to state agencies that deal with well water
• Video: How to Test Your Well Water - Watch this short video to learn how to do a water test
• Video: Understanding Your Well Water Test Results - This short video shows you how to understand the results you get from the laboratory when you test your well water
• Brochure: Is Your Well Water Safe to Drink? (PDF) - A brochure identifying for what and how often you should test
• Tipsheet: Have You Tested Your Well Water for Arsenic? (PDF)
• Tipsheet: Arsenic in Your Well Water (PDF)
• Tipsheet: Uranium in Your Well Water (PDF)
• Tipsheet: PFOA and PFOS in Private Well Water: Questions and Answers (PDF)
• Tipsheet: Corrosive Water Problems - Published by the Penn State Cooperative Extension
• Data: Maine Tracking Network - Data about chemicals commonly found in private wells for Maine towns and counties, and the state.

Resources for Communities

Organizations interested in learning more about the drinking water that comes from private wells in Maine can use these resources to plan and evaluate community prevention activities, apply for funding, and monitor this important environmental health issue in Maine.

Drinking Water Guidelines

Maine CDC transitioned to using the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) drinking water standards and health advisory levels for contaminants found in well water in Maine and no longer maintains seperate Maximum Exposure Guidelines (except for radon).

• EPA's 2018 Drinking Water Standards and Health Advisories Tables: Information on EPA's current Maximum Contaminant Levels, Health Advisories and Drinking Water Equivalent Levels for contaminants in drinking water. Many of the EPA guidelines are the same as the previous Maximum Exposure Guidelines.
• Maximum Exposure Guideline for Radon in Drinking Water (PDF): Maine CDC maintains a Maximum Exposure Guideline for radon.

Studies in Maine

• A study of arsenic in Maine well water answers important questions about bathing and treatment options.
  • Read the study
  • Get a one-page summary of the study (PDF)
• MTBE in Maine Drinking Water-Executive Summary (PDF)
• MTBE in Maine Drinking Water-Full Report (Preliminary) (PDF)

External Links

• List of labs certified to test well water in Maine
• Maine Drinking Water Program: Information on Private Wells for Homeowners
• EPA's Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water
• Maine Radiation Control Program:  For questions about Radon