Well water in Manchester, Maine
In Manchester, 57% of 207 private wells tested had arsenic above the Maine guideline (10 ug/L), according to Maine CDC.
217 private wells tested in state summaries; 24 individual samples from 12 wells, 2006 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 Manchester. 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 Manchester who sent a sample to the state lab, the health-based limits most often exceeded were arsenic (57% of 207 wells), uranium (14% of 169 wells), and fluoride (4% of 207 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 Manchester
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)3 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
- Metals panel1 hazardous waste site on record locally.
- Fluoride4% of 207 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- Manganese4% of 188 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- IronDetected in 100% of local samples.
- NitrateRecommended for every private well, especially near farms or septic systems.
Wells in Manchester
143 domestic wells in Manchester are on record with the state since 1970. 97% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 240 feet deep (one in ten goes past 403 feet).
In a typical Manchester well, bedrock starts about 28 feet down, the median yield is 9.5 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 Manchester
Maine DEP records 3 leaking underground storage tank sites and 1 hazardous waste site in Manchester, among 5 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.
- 3
- 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.
- 1
- other remediation project
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
- Iron
- Oxidizing filter whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Aeration plus filtration
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Common questions
How deep are wells in Manchester?
The typical domestic well in Manchester is 240 feet deep, based on 143 wells reported to the state since 1970. One in ten is deeper than 403 feet. 97% are drilled into bedrock.
Is there arsenic in well water in Manchester?
Arsenic was detected in 100% of 24 public well samples in Manchester, 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 Manchester?
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: 58 samples in Manchester. 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 Manchester, up to 217 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: 148 well records in Manchester, 143 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: 5 regulated sites located in Manchester. 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.