Well water in East Lyme, Connecticut
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Testing strongly recommended
tested well samples in East Lyme exceeded the EPA limit for nitrate (10 mg/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.
1,299 test results across 8 contaminants from at least 33 wells, 1963 to 2025; nitrate has the most at 797. 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 East Lyme. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate 1965 to 2025 | 797 | 100% | 4.84 | 113 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Fluoride 1965 to 2025 | 89 | 40% | 0 | 0.2 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Manganese 1963 to 2025 | no limit | 106 | 100% | 20 | 9,280 | 300 ug/L health guideline |
| Iron 1963 to 2025 | no limit | 105 | 48% | 0 | 430 | 300 ug/L nuisance level |
| Chloride 1963 to 2025 | no limit | 101 | 100% | 84.9 | 3,620 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
| Sodium 1963 to 2025 | no limit | 99 | 100% | 53.6 | 1,590 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: Uranium (1), Radon (1).
Over time
Share of samples above the limit by period. A cell needs ten samples to show; a comparison needs twenty in each period. Later periods sample fewer wells, and often the ones already known to have a problem.
| Contaminant | before 2000 | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate | n/a | 35%400 samples | 29%252 samples | 17%140 samples |
| Fluoride | n/a | 0%17 samples | n/a | 0%70 samples |
Nitrate above the limit in East Lyme fell from 29% of 252 samples in the 2010s to 17% of 140 in the 2020s.
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 addressWhat this means
The contaminants most often above their limit here are nitrate (30% of 797 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.
Manganese and Chloride are widespread in local groundwater. They are mainly a staining and taste problem, but high manganese also carries a health advisory for infants.
The median radon reading (6,000 pCi/L) is above the 2,000 pCi/L level at which treatment is recommended. Radon in water raises indoor air radon when it is used for showers and laundry.
What to test for in East Lyme
- 1Nitrate30% of 797 local samples were above the limit.
- 2Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 3RadonMedian local reading is 6,000 pCi/L.
- 4ManganeseDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 5ChlorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 6Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)35 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
Test your East Lyme well for nitrate, coliform bacteria and radon
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 $209Already 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 East Lyme numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
Wells in East Lyme
25 domestic wells in East Lyme are on record with the state since 2021. the typical well is 325 feet deep (one in ten goes past 603 feet).
In a typical East Lyme well, the median yield is 10 gallons per minute, 16% 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 East Lyme
Not a principal aquifer
The USGS map places this area outside any principal aquifer, which usually means wells here draw from fractured bedrock or thin local deposits rather than a large regional aquifer. Bedrock wells of that kind are where arsenic, radon and uranium turn up, and yields vary from well to well.
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 East Lyme
CT DEEP contaminated sites and landfills records 35 leaking underground storage tank sites in East Lyme, among 68 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.
- 35
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 1
- lined landfill or transfer facility
- 32
- other remediation projects
Treatment that fits the local profile
Nitrate
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Distillation
Radon
Aeration (bubble-up or diffused) whole-house; Granular activated carbon whole-house (lower levels only)
Manganese
Oxidizing filter (greensand, birm) whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Point-of-use reverse osmosis
Chloride
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Distillation
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 nitrate
Under-sink reverse osmosis system
under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
For nitrate
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 manganese
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.
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Common questions
How deep are wells in East Lyme?
The typical domestic well in East Lyme is 325 feet deep, based on 25 wells reported to the state since 2021. One in ten is deeper than 603 feet.
How often should I test a private well in East Lyme?
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 East Lyme
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: 1,299 samples in East Lyme. 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: 51 well records in East Lyme, 25 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: 68 regulated sites located in East Lyme. 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.