Well water in South Bristol, Maine
In South Bristol, 2% of 61 private wells tested had uranium above the Maine guideline (30 ug/L), according to Maine CDC.
95 private wells tested in state summaries. Data refreshed .
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 South Bristol who sent a sample to the state lab, the health-based limits most often exceeded were uranium (2% of 61 wells) and arsenic (1% of 76 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.
Manganese exceeds the state's advisory level in a sizable share of wells; this is mostly a taste, staining or diet issue rather than a toxicity one.
What to test for in South Bristol
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)2 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
- Manganese19% of 80 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- Uranium2% of 61 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- Arsenic1% of 76 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- NitrateRecommended for every private well, especially near farms or septic systems.
Wells in South Bristol
367 domestic wells in South Bristol are on record with the state since 1970. 100% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 180 feet deep (one in ten goes past 360 feet).
In a typical South Bristol well, bedrock starts about 4 feet down, the median yield is 6 gallons per minute, 21% 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 South Bristol
Maine DEP records 2 leaking underground storage tank sites in South Bristol, among 4 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.
- 2
- 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
- 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 South Bristol?
The typical domestic well in South Bristol is 180 feet deep, based on 367 wells reported to the state since 1970. One in ten is deeper than 360 feet. 100% are drilled into bedrock.
How often should I test a private well in South Bristol?
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 Tracking Network private well summaries: summaries for 6 contaminants in South Bristol, up to 95 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: 383 well records in South Bristol, 367 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: 4 regulated sites located in South Bristol. 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.