Well water in Lincoln County, Maine
1in15
Testing recommended
private wells tested in Lincoln County had uranium above the Maine guideline (30 ug/L), according to Maine CDC.
The strongest signal is PFOA: 23% of 110 local samples were above the limit, too few samples to carry the headline but first on the test list below.
2,107 private wells tested in state summaries; 453 test results across 10 contaminants from at least 110 wells, 1967 to 2025; PFOA has the most at 110. Data refreshed September 15, 2026.
Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built
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. In that targeted sampling, 23% of 110 PFOA results in Lincoln County were above the EPA limit of 4 ng/L. In that targeted sampling, 15% of 110 PFOS results in Lincoln County were above the EPA limit of 4 ng/L.
An estimated 22,986 people in Lincoln County get their drinking water from a private well, per USGS 2015 county water use. That is about 68% of residents.
Separately, the USGS national arsenic model estimates that 8% of the 22,986 people on private wells in Lincoln County draw water above 10 ug/L (the model's range is 6% to 11%), from geology and well depth rather than local tests.
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. County and state figures combine the town summaries, weighted by wells tested; medians are not combined.
What individual samples found
Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Lincoln County. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PFOA 2022 to 2025 | 110 | 75% | 1 | 182 | 4 ng/L EPA limit | |
| PFOS 2022 to 2025 | 110 | 52% | 0.504 | 64.3 | 4 ng/L EPA limit | |
| PFHxS 2022 to 2025 | 110 | 35% | 0 | 22.2 | 10 ng/L EPA limit | |
| PFNA 2022 to 2025 | 110 | 24% | 0 | 21.2 | 10 ng/L EPA limit |
Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: Arsenic (4), Fluoride (1), Nitrate (1), Manganese (3), Iron (3), Chloride (1).
Closer than the county
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
Among homeowners in Lincoln County who sent a sample to the state lab, the health-based limits most often exceeded were uranium (7% of 1,490 wells), arsenic (4% of 1,770 wells), and fluoride (1% of 1,981 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 Lincoln County
- 1PFOA23% of 110 local samples were above the limit.
- 2PFOS15% of 110 local samples were above the limit.
- 3Uranium7% of 1,490 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- 4Arsenic4% of 1,770 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- 5Fluoride1% of 1,981 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- 6PFHxS<1% of 110 local samples were above the limit.
- 7PFNA<1% of 110 local samples were above the limit.
- 8Nitrate<1% of 2,107 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- 9Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)41 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
- 10PFAS16 unlined landfills on record locally.
- 11Metals panel13 hazardous waste sites on record locally.
Test your Lincoln County well for PFOA, PFOS and uranium
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.
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Where to get a well tested in Maine: certified labs, state programs and prices.
Already have results back? Get your lab report read against the Lincoln County numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
Wells in Lincoln County
5,446 domestic wells in Lincoln County are on record with the state since 1970. 98% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 220 feet deep (one in ten goes past 385 feet).
In a typical Lincoln County well, bedrock starts about 8 feet down, the median yield is 6 gallons per minute, 24% 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.
The rock under Lincoln County
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 county centroid. A single well can sit in a different unit, especially near a boundary.
Official help in Maine
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 Well Water, Maine CDC
- Laboratory Accreditation, Maine CDC
Contamination sources on record in Lincoln County
Maine DEP records 41 leaking underground storage tank sites, 16 unlined landfills, and 13 hazardous waste sites in Lincoln County, among 129 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.
- 41
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 16
- unlined landfillsOlder unlined landfills are a leading source of PFAS, VOCs and metals in nearby wells.
- 13
- hazardous waste sitesSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
- 59
- other remediation projects
Treatment that fits the local profile
Uranium
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Whole-house anion exchange
Manganese
Oxidizing filter (greensand, birm) whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Point-of-use reverse osmosis
PFOA
Granular activated carbon whole-house; Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange
PFOS
Granular activated carbon whole-house; Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange
PFHxS
Granular activated carbon whole-house; Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange
PFNA
Granular activated carbon whole-house; Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange
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 uranium
Under-sink reverse osmosis system
under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
For uranium
Whole-house arsenic and uranium filter
whole-house, at the point of entry, about $2,500
Adsorptive iron-based media; sized to your well yield.
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.
For PFOA
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 PFOA
Whole-house PFAS carbon system
whole-house, at the point of entry, about $3,000
Granular activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for PFOA and PFOS; replace media on schedule.
For PFOA
Aquasana HealthShield whole-house filter
whole-house, at the point of entry, about $2,099
Whole-house carbon system the maker certifies to reduce PFAS (PFOA and PFOS) and VOCs at every tap; a UV option adds bacteria protection.
Free, no obligation
Get on the list for a free in-home water test in Lincoln County
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Common questions
How deep are wells in Lincoln County?
The typical domestic well in Lincoln County is 220 feet deep, based on 5,446 wells reported to the state since 1970. One in ten is deeper than 385 feet. 98% are drilled into bedrock.
How often should I test a private well in Lincoln County?
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 in Lincoln County
- Alna9% uranium
- Boothbay4% uranium
- Bremen14% uranium
- Bristol7% arsenic
- Damariscotta16% uranium
- Dresden6% arsenic
- Edgecomb3% uranium
- Jefferson10% arsenic
- Newcastle4% uranium
- Nobleboro12% uranium
- Somerville2% nitrate
- South Bristol2% uranium
- Southport0% nitrate
- Waldoboro28% uranium
- Westport Island0% arsenic
- Whitefield7% arsenic
- Wiscasset8% uranium
4 towns have fewer than 30 public samples and are included in the Lincoln County totals above rather than shown separately: Boothbay Harbor, Hibberts gore, Louds Island UT, Monhegan plantation.
Counties near Lincoln County
Closest first. Groundwater does not stop at a line on a map, so the next county over is a fair second opinion.
Want the numbers themselves? Download the Maine dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.
Sources
- Maine DEP PFAS investigation: 440 samples in Lincoln County. PFAS results for private wells sampled by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 13 samples in Lincoln County. 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 Lincoln County, up to 2,107 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.
- USGS national arsenic model (Ayotte 2017): estimated share of 22,986 people on private wells in Lincoln County above 10 ug/L of arsenic, from geology, well depth and land use. County estimates of domestic well users with arsenic above 10 ug/L from the USGS national logistic regression model (Ayotte, Medalie and Qi, 2017), with private well population from the USGS 2015 county water-use compilation (Dieter and others, 2018). Retrieved September 15, 2026.
- Maine Geological Survey well database: 5,773 well records in Lincoln County, 5,446 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: 129 regulated sites located in Lincoln County. 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.