Well water in Chatham, Massachusetts
In Chatham, none of 69 tested well samples exceeded the EPA limit for nitrate, based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.
The strongest signal is coliform bacteria: Recommended for every private well, every year, too few samples to carry the headline but first on the test list below.
250 test results across 8 contaminants from at least 9 wells, 1974 to 1985; chloride has the most at 94. Data refreshed September 3, 2026.
Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built
What individual samples found
Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Chatham. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate 1974 to 1985 | 69 | 97% | 0.1 | 8.9 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Chloride 1974 to 1985 | no limit | 94 | 100% | 19 | 3,200 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
| Sodium 1974 to 1985 | no limit | 76 | 100% | 12 | 2,400 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: Fluoride (3), Arsenic (1), Lead (1), Iron (3), Manganese (3).
Closer than the town
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 contaminants with a federal limit, no tested sample in Chatham came back above it. That is reassuring, but sampling is uneven: wells that were never tested are not in this data.
Chloride, Iron, and Manganese are widespread in local groundwater. They are mainly a staining and taste problem, but high manganese also carries a health advisory for infants.
What to test for in Chatham
- 1Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 2NitrateRecommended for every private well, especially near farms or septic systems.
- 3ChlorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 4IronDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 5ManganeseDetected in 100% of local samples.
- 6FluorideDetected in 67% of local samples.
- 7PFAS2 unlined landfills on record locally.
- 8Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)2 unlined landfills on record locally.
- 9Metals panel1 hazardous waste site on record locally.
Test your Chatham well for coliform bacteria, nitrate and chloride
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.
Affiliate links: the merchant pays us a commission and the price is the same for you. It does not change what the data above says. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Where to get a well tested in Massachusetts: certified labs, state programs and prices.
Already have results back? Get your lab report read against the Chatham numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
Wells in Chatham
110 domestic wells in Chatham are on record with the state since 1975. 0% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 55 feet deep (one in ten goes past 85 feet).
In a typical Chatham well, the median yield is 15 gallons per minute.
Find your own well's report
The state keeps the driller's report for most wells drilled since 1984. It tells you how deep your well is, where bedrock starts, and how much water it makes, which decides what treatment can work.
- Open MassDEP Well Location Viewer and choose Water Well.
- The completion report lists total depth, depth to bedrock, static water level, yield and the driller.
Drillers have filed completion reports with the state since 1984; the viewer's public copy is refreshed a few times a year.
Official help in Massachusetts
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 Wells, MassDEP
- Certified Laboratories, MassDEP
Contamination sources on record in Chatham
MassDEP records 2 unlined landfills and 1 hazardous waste site in Chatham, among 14 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
- unlined landfillsOlder unlined landfills are a leading source of PFAS, VOCs and metals in nearby wells.
- 1
- hazardous waste siteSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
- 10
- registered underground storage tank sitesRegistered tanks are regulated and inspected; they matter most when they are old or near a shallow well.
- 1
- other remediation project
Treatment that fits the local profile
Iron
Oxidizing filter whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Aeration plus filtration
Manganese
Oxidizing filter (greensand, birm) whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Point-of-use reverse osmosis
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 iron
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.
Free, no obligation
Get on the list for a free in-home water test in Chatham
No water treatment company serves Chatham through Well Water Nerd yet. We are signing licensed companies on county by county: they test at your tap for free, walk you through the numbers, and quote treatment only if something needs fixing. Leave your details and you are first in line. Nothing is shared until a company joins for Chatham, and you get an email naming it first.
Common questions
How deep are wells in Chatham?
The typical domestic well in Chatham is 55 feet deep, based on 110 wells reported to the state since 1975. One in ten is deeper than 85 feet. 0% are drilled into bedrock.
How often should I test a private well in Chatham?
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 near Chatham
Closest first. Groundwater does not stop at a line on a map, so the next town over is a fair second opinion.
Want the numbers themselves? Download the Massachusetts dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 250 samples in Chatham. Data from the Water Quality Portal, a service of USGS, EPA and USDA; groundwater samples collected by USGS and cooperators. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
- MassDEP well completion reports: 390 well records in Chatham, 110 domestic. Well completion reports filed with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, as published in the Well Location Viewer (April 2023 vintage). Only aggregates are shown; owner names and addresses are never stored. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
- MassDEP regulated sites: 14 regulated sites located in Chatham. Chapter 21E release sites, solid waste landfills and underground storage tank facilities from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, through MassGIS. Retrieved September 16, 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.