Well water in Brunswick, Maine
In Brunswick, 9% of 300 private wells tested had arsenic above the Maine guideline (10 ug/L), according to Maine CDC.
369 private wells tested in state summaries; 9 individual samples from 8 wells, 1964 to 2012. Data refreshed September 3, 2026.
What homeowner tests found
Maine Tracking Network private well summaries: private wells tested and reported to the state. Shares are against the level the state applies to each contaminant, named in the last column; several are stricter than EPA.
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What this means
Among homeowners in Brunswick who sent a sample to the state lab, the health-based limits most often exceeded were arsenic (9% of 300 wells), uranium (6% of 272 wells), and fluoride (5% of 365 wells). These are ordinary wells tested by their owners, so the shares are the best available picture of a typical well here, with one caveat: people test more often when they suspect a problem.
What to test for in Brunswick
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)18 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
- PFAS5 unlined landfills on record locally.
- Metals panel8 hazardous waste sites on record locally.
- Arsenic9% of 300 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- Uranium6% of 272 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- Fluoride5% of 365 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- Manganese4% of 297 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- RadonMedian local reading is 5,920 pCi/L.
- CopperDetected in 100% of local samples.
- ChlorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
Wells in Brunswick
784 domestic wells in Brunswick are on record with the state since 1970. 97% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 255 feet deep (one in ten goes past 454 feet).
In a typical Brunswick well, bedrock starts about 11 feet down, the median yield is 6 gallons per minute, 26% of wells yield under 3 gallons per minute and usually need a storage tank.
Bedrock wells are where arsenic, uranium and radon come from: the water sits in fractures in granite and metamorphic rock and picks up whatever the rock carries. That is why testing for those three matters more here than in a dug or gravel well.
Contamination sources on record in Brunswick
Maine DEP records 18 leaking underground storage tank sites, 5 unlined landfills, and 8 hazardous waste sites in Brunswick, among 77 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.
- 18
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 5
- unlined landfillsOlder unlined landfills are a leading source of PFAS, VOCs and metals in nearby wells.
- 8
- hazardous waste sitesSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
- 46
- other remediation projects
Treatment that fits the local profile
- Arsenic
- Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Adsorptive media (iron-based) whole-house; Anion exchange
- Uranium
- Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Whole-house anion exchange
- Fluoride
- Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Activated alumina; Distillation
- Copper
- Neutralizing filter to raise pH; Point-of-use reverse osmosis
- Chloride
- Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Distillation
- Manganese
- Oxidizing filter (greensand, birm) whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Point-of-use reverse osmosis
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Common questions
How deep are wells in Brunswick?
The typical domestic well in Brunswick is 255 feet deep, based on 784 wells reported to the state since 1970. One in ten is deeper than 454 feet. 97% are drilled into bedrock.
Is there arsenic in well water in Brunswick?
Arsenic was detected in 86% of 7 public well samples in Brunswick, and 71% 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 high is radon in well water in Brunswick?
The median radon level across 1 public samples in Brunswick was 5,920 pCi/L, with a high of 5,920 pCi/L. New Hampshire recommends treatment above 2,000 pCi/L.
How often should I test a private well in Brunswick?
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.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 38 samples in Brunswick. Data from the Water Quality Portal, a service of USGS, EPA and USDA; groundwater samples collected by USGS and cooperators. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
- Maine Tracking Network private well summaries: summaries for 6 contaminants in Brunswick, up to 369 wells each. Town summaries of private well tests run by the Maine Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory, published by Maine CDC through the Maine Tracking Network. Shares are against Maine's guideline for each analyte (arsenic 10 ug/L, uranium 30 ug/L, fluoride 2 mg/L, manganese 0.3 mg/L, nitrate 10 mg/L, nitrite 1 mg/L). Towns with too few tests are suppressed (NR). Only the share above the guideline and wells tested are published; no medians. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
- Maine Geological Survey well database: 866 well records in Brunswick, 784 domestic. Well construction records reported to the Maine Geological Survey by licensed well drillers. Only aggregates are shown; owner names and addresses are never stored. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
- Maine DEP regulated sites: 77 regulated sites located in Brunswick. Remediation sites, leaking underground storage tanks and closed municipal landfills from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Retrieved September 3, 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.