Well water in Vernon, Connecticut

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Testing recommended

tested well samples in Vernon exceeded the EPA limit for nitrate (10 mg/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.

The strongest signal is lead: 10% of 10 local samples were above the limit, too few samples to carry the headline but first on the test list below.

204 test results across 11 contaminants from at least 20 wells, 1953 to 2017; nitrate has the most at 46. Data refreshed September 3, 2026.

Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built

What individual samples found

Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Vernon. Above limit means above the EPA maximum contaminant level; where EPA has no enforceable limit, the row shows a health guideline or nuisance level instead.

Contaminant	Above limit	Samples	Detected	Median	Highest	Limit
Lead 1987 to 2017	10%	10	20%	0	40	15 ug/L EPA limit
Nitrate 1953 to 2017	9%	46	98%	4.14	14.2	10 mg/L EPA limit
Fluoride 1953 to 2017	8%	13	69%	0.1	50	4 mg/L EPA limit
Copper 1953 to 2017	0%	12	33%	0	1.3	1.3 mg/L EPA limit
Arsenic 1987 to 2017	0%	10	20%	0	1	10 ug/L EPA limit
Chloride 1953 to 2017	no limit	43	100%	23	110	250 mg/L nuisance level
Iron 1953 to 2017	no limit	23	100%	30	1,100	300 ug/L nuisance level
Manganese 1953 to 2017	no limit	22	95%	20	1,000	300 ug/L health guideline
Sodium 1968 to 2017	no limit	21	100%	12	70	20 mg/L health guideline

Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: Uranium (2), Radium (226 + 228) (2).

Closer than the town

See the sampled wells near your address

The same records, drawn around one point: which wells within a few miles were sampled and what they found, how deep the wells next to you were drilled, and any leaking tank or cleanup site within a mile.

Check my address

What this means

The contaminants most often above their limit here are lead (10% of 10 samples), nitrate (9% of 46 samples), and fluoride (8% of 13 samples). A well next door can differ sharply from yours because bedrock fractures, well depth and plumbing all matter, so these rates describe the area, not your tap.

Chloride, Iron, and Manganese are widespread in local groundwater. They are mainly a staining and taste problem, but high manganese also carries a health advisory for infants.

What to test for in Vernon

1
Lead
10% of 10 local samples were above the limit.
2
Nitrate
9% of 46 local samples were above the limit.
3
Fluoride
8% of 13 local samples were above the limit.
4
Coliform bacteria
Recommended for every private well, every year.
5
Chloride
Detected in 100% of local samples.
6
Iron
Detected in 100% of local samples.
7
Manganese
Detected in 95% of local samples.
8
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
68 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
9
Metals panel
1 hazardous waste site on record locally.

Test your Vernon well for lead, nitrate and fluoride

Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.

Order the Tap Score well water test kit, from $209 Already tested? Upload the report

Just want bacteria checked first? Tap Score coliform and E. coli test, $99. Coliform and E. coli are the tests every well needs every year.

Want a quick look before paying for a lab? Home well water test strips on Amazon check hardness, iron, pH and nitrate in minutes. They are a screen, not a result: arsenic, bacteria, uranium and PFAS need a certified lab.

Affiliate links: the merchant pays us a commission and the price is the same for you. It does not change what the data above says. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Where to get a well tested in Connecticut: certified labs, state programs and prices.

Already have results back? Get your lab report read against the Vernon numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.

Wells in Vernon

21 domestic wells in Vernon are on record with the state since 2020. the typical well is 240 feet deep (one in ten goes past 505 feet).

In a typical Vernon well, the median yield is 20 gallons per minute, 10% of wells yield under 3 gallons per minute and usually need a storage tank.

Find your own well's report

The state keeps the driller's report for most wells drilled since 1984. It tells you how deep your well is, where bedrock starts, and how much water it makes, which decides what treatment can work.

Open Connecticut well completion reports and choose Water Well.
The report lists depth, depth to rock, casing, static water level and yield.

Only reports filed online since January 2021 are here; older paper reports are held by the Department of Consumer Protection.

The rock under Vernon

Early Mesozoic basin aquifers

Sandstone. Sandstone wells draw from pore space in the rock and tend to be dependable. Iron, manganese and hardness are common, and some sandstones carry arsenic or radium, so a first test should include both.

Classification from the USGS Principal Aquifers of the United States (national map, 2003 edition, GIS release 2015), read at the town centroid. A single well can sit in a different unit, especially near a boundary.

Official help in Connecticut

Two places to start that are not selling anything: the state program that answers private well questions, and its list of labs certified to run drinking water tests. A certified lab is the difference between a result you can act on and a number.

Private Wells, CT DPH
Environmental Laboratory Certification, CT DPH

Contamination sources on record in Vernon

CT DEEP contaminated sites and landfills records 68 leaking underground storage tank sites, 1 hazardous waste site, and 5 reported spills and releases in Vernon, among 143 regulated sites in total. Groundwater does not follow property lines, so a well within a few hundred feet of one of these is worth testing for what that site could release.

68: leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
1: hazardous waste siteSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
5: reported spills and releasesMost spills are fuel; a few are solvents or chemicals that reach the water table.
1: lined landfill or transfer facility
68: other remediation projects

Treatment that fits the local profile

Lead

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Certified lead-removal carbon filter; Neutralizing filter to raise pH and stop leaching

Nitrate

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Distillation

Fluoride

Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Activated alumina; Distillation

Iron

Oxidizing filter whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Aeration plus filtration

Manganese

Oxidizing filter (greensand, birm) whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Point-of-use reverse osmosis

Systems we would look at first

Some links below are affiliate links. If you buy through one, the merchant pays us a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change which products we list or what the data says.

For lead

Under-sink reverse osmosis system

under-sink or countertop, about $300

Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.

For lead

Acid neutralizing filter

whole-house, at the point of entry, about $1,200

Raises pH so plumbing stops leaching lead and copper.

For lead

Aquasana SmartFlow reverse osmosis

under-sink or countertop, about $225

Certified to NSF/ANSI 58 and 53 to reduce arsenic (96%, pentavalent), fluoride (90%), lead (99%), nitrate, nitrite and PFOA/PFOS at the kitchen tap, with a remineralizer.

For iron

Iron and manganese oxidizing filter

whole-house, at the point of entry, about $1,800

Air-injection or greensand media; fixes staining at the source.

Free, no obligation

Get on the list for a free in-home water test in Vernon

No water treatment company serves Vernon through Well Water Nerd yet. We are signing licensed companies on county by county: they test at your tap for free, walk you through the numbers, and quote treatment only if something needs fixing. Leave your details and you are first in line. Nothing is shared until a company joins for Vernon, and you get an email naming it first.

Common questions

How deep are wells in Vernon?

The typical domestic well in Vernon is 240 feet deep, based on 21 wells reported to the state since 2020. One in ten is deeper than 505 feet.

Is there arsenic in well water in Vernon?

Arsenic was detected in 20% of 10 public well samples in Vernon, and 0% were above the EPA limit of 10 ug/L. Arsenic has no taste or smell; a lab test is the only way to know your level.

How often should I test a private well in Vernon?

Test for bacteria and nitrate every year. Test once for arsenic, uranium, radon, fluoride, manganese and PFAS, then again every three to five years or after any change in taste, color, or plumbing.

Towns near Vernon

Closest first. Groundwater does not stop at a line on a map, so the next town over is a fair second opinion.

Want the numbers themselves? Download the Connecticut dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.

Sources

USGS Water Quality Portal: 204 samples in Vernon. Data from the Water Quality Portal, a service of USGS, EPA and USDA; groundwater samples collected by USGS and cooperators. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
Connecticut well completion reports: 53 well records in Vernon, 21 domestic. Well completion reports filed online with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection since January 2021. Only aggregates are shown; owner names and addresses are never stored. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
CT DEEP contaminated sites and landfills: 143 regulated sites located in Vernon. Contaminated or potentially contaminated sites and solid waste landfills from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Retrieved September 16, 2026.

Non-detects count as samples and are treated as zero when computing medians. Exactly at the limit counts as not above it. A sample belongs to the town containing the well's reported coordinates.