Well water in Fairlee, Vermont
In Fairlee, 3% of 139 tested well samples exceeded the EPA limit for nitrate (10 mg/L), based on public data from USGS Water Quality Portal.
The strongest signal is arsenic: 21% of 58 local wells tested were above the Vermont limit, too few samples to carry the headline but first on the test list below.
58 private wells tested in state summaries; 139 test results across 1 contaminants from at least 25 wells, 1981 to 1982. Data refreshed September 3, 2026.
Compiled by Nick at Well Water Nerd from public records. How these pages are built
What homeowner tests found
Vermont Tracking 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.
| Contaminant | Above state level | Wells tested | Median | 95th pct | Highest | State level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenic | 58 | 2 | 23 | 67 | 10 ug/L | |
| Gross alpha Gross Alpha | 33 | 3 | 12 | 18.7 | 15 pCi/L | |
| Fluoride | 48 | 0.125 | 0.83 | 1.2 | 4 mg/L | |
| Uranium | 46 | 2 | 10 | 14 | 20 ug/L | |
| Nitrate | 28 | 0.25 | 0.935 | 1.3 | 10 mg/L |
What individual samples found
Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Fairlee. 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 1981 to 1982 | 139 | 98% | 0.12 | 25 | 10 mg/L EPA limit |
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 Fairlee who sent a sample to the state lab, the health-based limits most often exceeded were arsenic (21% of 58 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 Fairlee
- 1Arsenic21% of 58 local wells tested were above the Vermont limit.
- 2Nitrate3% of 139 local samples were above the limit.
- 3Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- 4Gross alpha3% of 33 local wells tested were above the Vermont limit.
- 5Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)9 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
- 6Metals panel3 hazardous waste sites on record locally.
Test your Fairlee well for arsenic, nitrate and coliform bacteria
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 Vermont: certified labs, state programs and prices.
Already have results back? Get your lab report read against the Fairlee numbers, $29. Every line explained, ranked by what matters, with the fix for each.
Wells in Fairlee
124 domestic wells in Fairlee are on record with the state since 1996. 96% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 420 feet deep (one in ten goes past 605 feet).
In a typical Fairlee well, bedrock starts about 27 feet down, the median yield is 3 gallons per minute, 49% 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.
The rock under Fairlee
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 Vermont
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.
- Drinking Water, Vermont Department of Health
- Certification Programs for Other Labs, Vermont Department of Health
Contamination sources on record in Fairlee
Vermont ANR records 9 leaking underground storage tank sites, 3 hazardous waste sites, and 1 reported spill or release in Fairlee, among 23 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.
- 9
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 3
- hazardous waste sitesSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
- 1
- reported spill or releaseMost spills are fuel; a few are solvents or chemicals that reach the water table.
- 10
- registered underground storage tank sitesRegistered tanks are regulated and inspected; they matter most when they are old or near a shallow well.
Treatment that fits the local profile
Arsenic
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Adsorptive media (iron-based) whole-house; Anion exchange
Nitrate
Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Anion exchange; Distillation
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.
Free, no obligation
Get on the list for a free in-home water test in Fairlee
No water treatment company serves Fairlee 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 Fairlee, and you get an email naming it first.
Common questions
How deep are wells in Fairlee?
The typical domestic well in Fairlee is 420 feet deep, based on 124 wells reported to the state since 1996. One in ten is deeper than 605 feet. 96% are drilled into bedrock.
How often should I test a private well in Fairlee?
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 Fairlee
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 Vermont dataset as CSV, every county and town, with the sources named.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 139 samples in Fairlee. Data from the Water Quality Portal, a service of USGS, EPA and USDA; groundwater samples collected by USGS and cooperators. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
- Vermont Tracking private well summaries: summaries for 5 contaminants in Fairlee, up to 58 wells each. Town summaries of private well tests reported to the Vermont Department of Health, published through Vermont Environmental Public Health Tracking. Shares are against the limit Vermont applies to each analyte: arsenic 10 ug/L, uranium 20 ug/L (stricter than EPA), fluoride 4 mg/L, nitrate 10 mg/L, gross alpha 15 pCi/L, radon 4,000 pCi/L advisory. Only towns with 20 or more results are published; statistics below the reporting limit show as *. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
- Vermont ANR well completion reports: 132 well records in Fairlee, 124 domestic. Well completion reports filed with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources since 1966. Only aggregates are shown; owner names and addresses are never stored. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
- Vermont ANR regulated sites: 23 regulated sites located in Fairlee. Hazardous waste sites, landfills and underground storage tanks from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. 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.