Well Water Nerd

Well water in Corinth, Maine

In Corinth, 9% of 88 private wells tested had arsenic above the Maine guideline (10 ug/L), according to Maine CDC.

106 private wells tested in state summaries; 10 individual samples from 10 wells, 2022 to 2024. 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. In that targeted sampling, 0% of 10 PFOA results in Corinth were above the EPA limit of 4 ng/L. In that targeted sampling, 0% of 10 PFOS results in Corinth were above the EPA limit of 4 ng/L.

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.

ContaminantWells testedAbove state levelMedian95th pctHighestState level
Arsenic889%10 ug/L
Manganese803%300 ug/L
Nitrate1062%10 mg/L
Nitrite1060%1 mg/L
Fluoride1020%2 mg/L
Uranium630%30 ug/L

What individual samples found

Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Corinth. 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.

ContaminantSamplesDetectedAbove limitMedianHighestLimit
PFOA
2022 to 2024
1020%0%01.694 ng/L
EPA limit
PFOS
2022 to 2024
1020%0%02.984 ng/L
EPA limit
PFNA
2022 to 2024
100%0%0010 ng/L
EPA limit
PFHxS
2022 to 2024
1010%0%01.8210 ng/L
EPA limit

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What this means

Among homeowners in Corinth who sent a sample to the state lab, the health-based limits most often exceeded were arsenic (9% of 88 wells) and nitrate (2% of 106 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 Corinth

  • Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)6 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
  • PFAS1 unlined landfill on record locally.
  • Arsenic9% of 88 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
  • Manganese3% of 80 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
  • Nitrate2% of 106 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
  • Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.

Wells in Corinth

240 domestic wells in Corinth 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 380 feet).

In a typical Corinth well, bedrock starts about 10 feet down, the median yield is 6 gallons per minute, 17% 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.

37
1970s
16
1980s
38
1990s
38
2000s
25
2010s
63
2020s

Contamination sources on record in Corinth

Maine DEP records 6 leaking underground storage tank sites and 1 unlined landfill in Corinth, among 10 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.
1
unlined landfillOlder unlined landfills are a leading source of PFAS, VOCs and metals in nearby wells.
3
other remediation projects

Treatment that fits the local profile

Arsenic
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Adsorptive media (iron-based) whole-house; Anion exchange

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Common questions

How deep are wells in Corinth?

The typical domestic well in Corinth is 180 feet deep, based on 240 wells reported to the state since 1970. One in ten is deeper than 380 feet. 100% are drilled into bedrock.

How often should I test a private well in Corinth?

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: 40 samples in Corinth. PFAS results for private wells sampled by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
  • Maine Tracking Network private well summaries: summaries for 6 contaminants in Corinth, up to 106 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: 252 well records in Corinth, 240 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: 10 regulated sites located in Corinth. 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.