Well water in Goshen, New Hampshire

In Goshen, 3% of 33 private wells tested between 2006 and 2020 had arsenic above the New Hampshire guidance level (5 ug/L), according to NH DHHS.

35 private wells tested 2006 to 2020 in state summaries; 4 individual samples from 3 wells, 1988 to 1994. Data refreshed September 3, 2026.

Separately, a USGS and NHDES statistical model puts the chance that a bedrock well in Goshen exceeds 5 ug/L of arsenic at 16% (as low as 4% 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	Wells tested	Above state level	Median	95th pct	Highest	State level
Copper (stagnant)	28	25%	0.2	5.7	8.7	1.3 mg/L
Lead (stagnant)	28	11%	1.9	32.2	892	15 ug/L
Iron	29	10%	0	1,000	2,100	300 ug/L
Sodium	29	7%	6.3	20.8	114	20 mg/L
Arsenic	33	3%	0.7	4.8	9.2	5 ug/L
Fluoride	35	0%	0.2	2	2.2	4 mg/L
Nitrate	31	0%	0.1	2.8	9.1	10 mg/L
Nitrite	31	0%	0	0	0	1 mg/L
Chloride	31	0%	2.1	39.5	200	250 mg/L
Uranium	30	0%	1	5.6	12	30 ug/L
Manganese	29	0%	0	100	300	300 ug/L

Get the free Goshen well report

One email with the numbers above, what they mean for a home in Goshen, exactly which tests to order, and what treatment fits the local profile. No spam, unsubscribe in one click.

What this means

Among homeowners in Goshen who sent a sample to the state lab, the health-based limits most often exceeded were copper (25% of 28 wells), lead (11% of 28 wells), and arsenic (3% of 33 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.

Iron 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 Goshen

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)2 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
PFAS1 unlined landfill on record locally.
Copper25% of 28 local wells tested were above the New Hampshire guidance level.
Lead11% of 28 local wells tested were above the New Hampshire guidance level.
Iron10% of 29 local wells tested were above the New Hampshire guidance level.
Sodium7% of 29 local wells tested were above the New Hampshire guidance level.
Arsenic3% of 33 local wells tested were above the New Hampshire guidance level.
Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
RadonMedian local reading is 2,600 pCi/L.
NitrateRecommended for every private well, especially near farms or septic systems.

Wells in Goshen

85 domestic wells in Goshen are on record with the state since 1984. 98% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 400 feet deep (one in ten goes past 516 feet).

In a typical Goshen well, bedrock starts about 18 feet down, the median yield is 4.5 gallons per minute, 30% 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.

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

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.

Contamination sources on record in Goshen

NHDES records 2 leaking underground storage tank sites, 1 unlined landfill, and 1 reported spill or release in Goshen, among 12 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.
1: unlined landfillOlder unlined landfills are a leading source of PFAS, VOCs and metals in nearby wells.
1: reported spill or releaseMost spills are fuel; a few are solvents or chemicals that reach the water table.
3: registered underground storage tank sitesRegistered tanks are regulated and inspected; they matter most when they are old or near a shallow well.
4: other remediation projects
1: other solid waste facility

Treatment that fits the local profile

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
Iron: Oxidizing filter whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Aeration plus filtration
Sodium: Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Distillation
Radon: Aeration (bubble-up or diffused) whole-house; Granular activated carbon whole-house (lower levels only)

Book a free water test in Goshen

A licensed local water treatment company tests your tap water in your home, walks you through the numbers, and quotes treatment only if something needs fixing. Free, about 30 minutes, no obligation.

Common questions

How deep are wells in Goshen?

The typical domestic well in Goshen is 400 feet deep, based on 85 wells reported to the state since 1984. One in ten is deeper than 516 feet. 98% are drilled into bedrock.

How high is radon in well water in Goshen?

The median radon level across 1 public samples in Goshen was 2,600 pCi/L, with a high of 2,600 pCi/L. New Hampshire recommends treatment above 2,000 pCi/L.

How often should I test a private well in Goshen?

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

USGS Water Quality Portal: 22 samples in Goshen. 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 11 contaminants in Goshen, up to 35 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.
NHDES Water Well Inventory: 88 well records in Goshen, 85 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: 12 regulated sites located in Goshen. 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.