Well water in Somerset County, Maine
In Somerset County, 18% of 952 private wells tested had arsenic above the Maine guideline (10 ug/L), according to Maine CDC.
1,098 private wells tested in state summaries; 580 individual samples from 580 wells, 1968 to 2026. 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, 41% of 576 PFOA results in Somerset County were above the EPA limit of 4 ng/L. In that targeted sampling, 28% of 576 PFOS results in Somerset County 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. 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 Somerset 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 | Samples | Detected | Above limit | Median | Highest | Limit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PFOA 2019 to 2026 | 576 | 73% | 41% | 2.59 | 7,590 | 4 ng/L EPA limit | |
| Arsenic 1999 to 2019 | 31 | 94% | 35% | 1.9 | 120 | 10 ug/L EPA limit | |
| PFOS 2019 to 2026 | 576 | 56% | 28% | 0.804 | 17,200 | 4 ng/L EPA limit | |
| PFNA 2020 to 2026 | 580 | 41% | 7% | 0 | 1,830 | 10 ng/L EPA limit | |
| PFHxS 2020 to 2026 | 575 | 36% | 2% | 0 | 489 | 10 ng/L EPA limit | |
| Nitrate 1968 to 2019 | 51 | 73% | 0% | 0.14 | 8 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Uranium 1999 to 2019 | 25 | 80% | 0% | 0.283 | 10 | 30 ug/L EPA limit | |
| Copper 1999 to 2019 | 20 | 70% | 0% | 0.002 | 0.018 | 1.3 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Radium (226 + 228) 1999 to 2019 | 14 | 86% | 0% | 0 | 2 | 5 pCi/L EPA limit | |
| Chloride 1968 to 2019 | 57 | 100% | no limit | 4.21 | 115 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: E. coli (9), Lead (7), Fluoride (3), Radon (8), Sodium (6), Manganese (3), Iron (3).
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What this means
Among homeowners in Somerset County who sent a sample to the state lab, the health-based limits most often exceeded were arsenic (18% of 952 wells), fluoride (2% of 1,078 wells), and uranium (2% of 811 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 Somerset County
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)35 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
- PFAS35 unlined landfills on record locally.
- Metals panel20 hazardous waste sites on record locally.
- PFOA41% of 576 local samples were above the limit.
- PFOS28% of 576 local samples were above the limit.
- PFNA7% of 580 local samples were above the limit.
- Manganese3% of 900 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- PFHxS2% of 575 local samples were above the limit.
- Fluoride2% of 1,078 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- Uranium2% of 811 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
- Nitrate1% of 1,097 local wells tested were above the Maine guideline.
Wells in Somerset County
2,839 domestic wells in Somerset County are on record with the state since 1970. 97% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 245 feet deep (one in ten goes past 420 feet).
In a typical Somerset County well, bedrock starts about 27 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.
Contamination sources on record in Somerset County
Maine DEP records 35 leaking underground storage tank sites, 35 unlined landfills, and 20 hazardous waste sites in Somerset County, among 180 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.
- 35
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 35
- unlined landfillsOlder unlined landfills are a leading source of PFAS, VOCs and metals in nearby wells.
- 20
- hazardous waste sitesSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
- 90
- other remediation projects
Treatment that fits the local profile
- Arsenic
- Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Adsorptive media (iron-based) whole-house; Anion exchange
- 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
- PFNA
- 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
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Common questions
How deep are wells in Somerset County?
The typical domestic well in Somerset County is 245 feet deep, based on 2,839 wells reported to the state since 1970. One in ten is deeper than 420 feet. 97% are drilled into bedrock.
Is there arsenic in well water in Somerset County?
Arsenic was detected in 94% of 31 public well samples in Somerset County, and 35% 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 high is radon in well water in Somerset County?
The median radon level across 8 public samples in Somerset County was 1,565 pCi/L, with a high of 3,400 pCi/L. New Hampshire recommends treatment above 2,000 pCi/L.
How often should I test a private well in Somerset 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 Somerset County
- Canaan16% arsenic
- Cornville20% arsenic
- Embden7% nitrate
- Fairfield29% arsenic
- Harmony3% fluoride
- Madison14% arsenic
- New Portland0% fluoride
- Norridgewock17% arsenic
- Palmyra5% nitrate
- Skowhegan21% arsenic
- Smithfield19% uranium
- St. Albans16% arsenic
25 towns have fewer than 30 public samples and are included in the Somerset County totals above rather than shown separately: Anson, Athens, Bingham, Brighton plantation, Cambridge, Caratunk, Central Somerset UT, Dennistown plantation, Detroit, Hartland, Highland plantation, Jackman, Mercer, Moose River, Moscow, Northeast Somerset UT, Northwest Somerset UT, Pittsfield, Pleasant Ridge plantation, Ripley, Seboomook Lake UT, Solon, Starks, The Forks plantation, West Forks plantation.
Sources
- Maine DEP PFAS investigation: 2,305 samples in Somerset County. PFAS results for private wells sampled by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 239 samples in Somerset 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 Somerset County, up to 1,098 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: 2,905 well records in Somerset County, 2,839 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: 180 regulated sites located in Somerset 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.