Well water in Augusta, Maine
In Augusta, 26% of 417 private wells tested had arsenic above the Maine guideline (10 ug/L), according to Maine CDC.
485 private wells tested in state summaries; 12 individual samples from 4 wells, 1957 to 2007. 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.
What individual samples found
Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Augusta. 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.
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What this means
Among homeowners in Augusta who sent a sample to the state lab, the health-based limits most often exceeded were arsenic (26% of 417 wells), uranium (10% of 359 wells), and fluoride (2% of 420 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 Augusta
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)37 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
- PFAS2 unlined landfills on record locally.
- Metals panel15 hazardous waste sites on record locally.
- Arsenic26% of 417 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- Uranium10% of 359 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- Manganese5% of 382 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- Fluoride2% of 420 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- ChlorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
- IronDetected in 100% of local samples.
- NitrateRecommended for every private well, especially near farms or septic systems.
Wells in Augusta
258 domestic wells in Augusta are on record with the state since 1970. 100% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 220 feet deep (one in ten goes past 421 feet).
In a typical Augusta well, bedrock starts about 10 feet down, the median yield is 7 gallons per minute, 18% 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 Augusta
Maine DEP records 37 leaking underground storage tank sites, 2 unlined landfills, and 15 hazardous waste sites in Augusta, among 115 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.
- 37
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 2
- unlined landfillsOlder unlined landfills are a leading source of PFAS, VOCs and metals in nearby wells.
- 15
- hazardous waste sitesSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
- 61
- 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
- Chloride
- Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Distillation
- Manganese
- Oxidizing filter (greensand, birm) whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Point-of-use reverse osmosis
- Iron
- Oxidizing filter whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Aeration plus filtration
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Common questions
How deep are wells in Augusta?
The typical domestic well in Augusta is 220 feet deep, based on 258 wells reported to the state since 1970. One in ten is deeper than 421 feet. 100% are drilled into bedrock.
Is there arsenic in well water in Augusta?
Arsenic was detected in 100% of 4 public well samples in Augusta, and 100% 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 Augusta?
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: 30 samples in Augusta. 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 Augusta, up to 485 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: 316 well records in Augusta, 258 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: 115 regulated sites located in Augusta. 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.