Well water in West Gardiner, Maine
In West Gardiner, 27% of 339 private wells tested had arsenic above the Maine guideline (10 ug/L), according to Maine CDC.
340 private wells tested in state summaries; 8 individual samples from 8 wells, 2006 to 2022. Data refreshed September 3, 2026.
Maine DEP samples private wells near fields where sludge or septage was spread and near other known PFAS sources, and resamples detections. PFAS shares describe wells that were tested for a reason, not every well in the area.
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 West Gardiner who sent a sample to the state lab, the health-based limits most often exceeded were arsenic (27% of 339 wells), uranium (14% of 254 wells), and fluoride (2% of 324 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 West Gardiner
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)6 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
- Arsenic27% of 339 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- Uranium14% of 254 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- Manganese5% of 294 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- Fluoride2% of 324 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- Nitrate<1% of 340 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- PFOAAbove the limit in 1 of 8 local samples; too few to quote a rate.
- ChlorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
Wells in West Gardiner
269 domestic wells in West Gardiner are on record with the state since 1970. 99% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 260 feet deep (one in ten goes past 457 feet).
In a typical West Gardiner 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 West Gardiner
Maine DEP records 6 leaking underground storage tank sites in West Gardiner, among 8 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.
- 6
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 2
- 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
- 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
Book a free water test in West Gardiner
A licensed local water treatment company tests your tap water in your home, walks you through the numbers, and quotes treatment only if something needs fixing. Free, about 30 minutes, no obligation.
Common questions
How deep are wells in West Gardiner?
The typical domestic well in West Gardiner is 260 feet deep, based on 269 wells reported to the state since 1970. One in ten is deeper than 457 feet. 99% are drilled into bedrock.
Is there arsenic in well water in West Gardiner?
Arsenic was detected in 100% of 7 public well samples in West Gardiner, 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 West Gardiner?
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
- Maine DEP PFAS investigation: 32 samples in West Gardiner. PFAS results for private wells sampled by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 18 samples in West Gardiner. 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 West Gardiner, up to 340 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: 275 well records in West Gardiner, 269 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: 8 regulated sites located in West Gardiner. 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.