Well water in Salem, New Hampshire
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Testing strongly recommended
private wells tested between 2006 and 2020 in Salem had arsenic above the New Hampshire guidance level (5 ug/L), according to NH DHHS.
The strongest signal is radon: 82% of 22 local wells tested were above the New Hampshire guidance level, too few samples to carry the headline but first on the test list below.
114 private wells tested 2006 to 2020 in state summaries; 86 test results across 13 contaminants from at least 9 wells, 1964 to 2011; nitrate has the most at 10. Data refreshed September 3, 2026.
Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built
Separately, a USGS and NHDES statistical model puts the chance that a bedrock well in Salem exceeds 5 ug/L of arsenic at 43% (as low as 21% in parts of town), based on geology rather than tests.
What homeowner tests found
NH DHHS WISDOM private well summaries: private wells tested and reported to the state, 2006 to 2020. Shares are against the level the state applies to each contaminant, named in the last column; several are stricter than EPA.
| Contaminant | Above state level | Wells tested | Median | 95th pct | Highest | State level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radon | 22 | 7141 | 31614 | 38,803 | 2,000 pCi/L | |
| Sodium | 88 | 31 | 144 | 223 | 20 mg/L | |
| Arsenic | 99 | 2.5 | 62.7 | 208 | 5 ug/L | |
| Uranium | 89 | 6.3 | 94 | 860 | 30 ug/L | |
| Copper (stagnant) | 61 | 0.1 | 2.8 | 8.3 | 1.3 mg/L | |
| Manganese | 90 | 0 | 400 | 1,700 | 300 ug/L | |
| Lead (stagnant) | 61 | 2.6 | 23.7 | 179 | 15 ug/L | |
| Iron | 89 | 0 | 1,100 | 6,700 | 300 ug/L | |
| Chloride | 92 | 94 | 268 | 414 | 250 mg/L | |
| Nitrate | 72 | 0.3 | 7 | 12 | 10 mg/L | |
| Fluoride | 114 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 4 mg/L | |
| Nitrite | 72 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 1 mg/L |
What individual samples found
Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Salem. 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 1964 to 2011 | 10 | 50% | 0.005 | 0.71 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Fluoride 1964 to 2011 | 10 | 80% | 0.195 | 0.3 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Sodium 1964 to 2011 | no limit | 10 | 100% | 12.8 | 88 | 20 mg/L health guideline |
| Chloride 1964 to 2011 | no limit | 10 | 100% | 41.5 | 200 | 250 mg/L nuisance level |
Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: Arsenic (8), Lead (7), Copper (7), Uranium (2), Radium (226 + 228) (2), E. coli (1), Manganese (9), Iron (9), Radon (1).
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 homeowners in Salem who sent a sample to the state lab, the health-based limits most often exceeded were arsenic (34% of 99 wells), uranium (20% of 89 wells), and copper (12% of 61 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.
Radon was above the New Hampshire guidance level of 2,000 pCi/L in 82% of 22 wells. Radon in water matters because it moves into indoor air during showers and laundry.
Sodium and manganese exceed the state's advisory level in a sizable share of wells; these are mostly a taste, staining or diet issue rather than a toxicity one.
What to test for in Salem
- 1Radon82% of 22 local wells tested were above the New Hampshire guidance level.
- 2Arsenic34% of 99 local wells tested were above the New Hampshire guidance level.
- 3Uranium20% of 89 local wells tested were above the New Hampshire guidance level.
- 4Copper12% of 61 local wells tested were above the New Hampshire guidance level.
- 5Lead10% of 61 local wells tested were above the New Hampshire guidance level.
- 6Nitrate4% of 72 local wells tested were above the New Hampshire guidance level.
- 7Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 8Sodium64% of 88 local wells tested were above the New Hampshire guidance level.
- 9Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)39 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
- 10PFAS3 unlined landfills on record locally.
- 11Metals panel16 hazardous waste sites on record locally.
Test your Salem well for radon, arsenic 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.
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 New Hampshire: certified labs, state programs and prices.
Already have results back? Get your lab report read against the Salem numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
Wells in Salem
1,069 domestic wells in Salem are on record with the state since 1984. 100% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 305 feet deep (one in ten goes past 605 feet).
In a typical Salem well, bedrock starts about 15 feet down, the median yield is 11 gallons per minute, 9% 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.
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 NHDES OneStop and choose Water Well.
- Enter your town and one word of your street name. Leave out the house number and the Road or Street part; a short search matches more.
- In the results, click Show for your address to see the report: total depth, depth to bedrock, casing, yield in gallons per minute, static water level, and the driller.
- Save Results exports the whole list to a spreadsheet.
Reports exist only for wells drilled since January 1984, when reporting became mandatory, and street names are as they were when the well was drilled.
The rock under Salem
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 town centroid. A single well can sit in a different unit, especially near a boundary.
Official help in New Hampshire
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.
Contamination sources on record in Salem
NHDES records 39 leaking underground storage tank sites, 3 unlined landfills, 16 hazardous waste sites, and 18 reported spills and releases in Salem, among 357 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.
- 39
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 3
- unlined landfillsOlder unlined landfills are a leading source of PFAS, VOCs and metals in nearby wells.
- 16
- hazardous waste sitesSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
- 18
- reported spills and releasesMost spills are fuel; a few are solvents or chemicals that reach the water table.
- 76
- registered underground storage tank sitesRegistered tanks are regulated and inspected; they matter most when they are old or near a shallow well.
- 36
- locally identified potential contamination sourcesTowns inventory these (vehicle repair, labs, salt piles, farms) when they draw wellhead protection maps.
- 163
- other remediation projects
- 6
- other solid waste facilities
Treatment that fits the local profile
Arsenic
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Adsorptive media (iron-based) whole-house; Anion exchange
Uranium
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Whole-house anion exchange
Copper
Neutralizing filter to raise pH; Point-of-use reverse osmosis
Lead
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Certified lead-removal carbon filter; Neutralizing filter to raise pH and stop leaching
Radon
Aeration (bubble-up or diffused) whole-house; Granular activated carbon whole-house (lower levels only)
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 arsenic
Under-sink reverse osmosis system
under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
For arsenic
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 arsenic
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 copper
Acid neutralizing filter
whole-house, at the point of entry, about $1,200
Raises pH so plumbing stops leaching lead and copper.
For lead
Aquasana Claryum 3-Stage under-sink filter
under-sink or countertop, about $175
Certified to NSF/ANSI 53 to reduce 99% of lead and 99.7% of PFOA and PFOS at the tap. Not a fix for arsenic, nitrate or bacteria.
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Common questions
How deep are wells in Salem?
The typical domestic well in Salem is 305 feet deep, based on 1,069 wells reported to the state since 1984. One in ten is deeper than 605 feet. 100% are drilled into bedrock.
How often should I test a private well in Salem?
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 Salem
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 New Hampshire dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 86 samples in Salem. Data from the Water Quality Portal, a service of USGS, EPA and USDA; groundwater samples collected by USGS and cooperators. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
- NH DHHS WISDOM private well summaries: summaries for 12 contaminants in Salem, up to 114 wells each. Town summaries of private well tests run by the New Hampshire Public Health Laboratories, published by NH DHHS through the WISDOM environmental public health tracking portal. Exceedance shares use New Hampshire guidance levels, which are stricter than EPA for arsenic (5 ug/L), manganese (0.3 mg/L), radon (2,000 pCi/L) and sodium (20 mg/L). Statistics for small counts are suppressed (*). Retrieved September 3, 2026.
- NH DHHS WISDOM private well summaries: modeled chance (43%) that a well in Salem exceeds 5 ug/L of arsenic, from geology rather than tests. Town summaries of private well tests run by the New Hampshire Public Health Laboratories, published by NH DHHS through the WISDOM environmental public health tracking portal. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
- NHDES Water Well Inventory: 1,279 well records in Salem, 1,069 domestic. Well construction records reported to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Water Well Board. Only aggregates are shown; owner names and addresses are never stored. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
- NHDES OneStop regulated sites: 357 regulated sites located in Salem. Remediation sites, underground storage tanks, solid waste facilities and potential contamination sources from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services OneStop database. 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.