Well water in Jay, Vermont
In Jay, 4% of 52 private wells tested had arsenic above the Vermont limit (10 ug/L), according to the Vermont Department of Health.
58 private wells tested in state summaries. Data refreshed .
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 | Wells tested | Above state level | Median | 95th pct | Highest | State level | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radon | 23 | 39% | 3,195 | 15194 | 16,400 | 4,000 pCi/L | |
| Arsenic | 52 | 4% | * | 6 | 30 | 10 ug/L | |
| Gross alpha Gross Alpha | 31 | 3% | 1.6 | 13.1 | 16.7 | 15 pCi/L | |
| Fluoride | 58 | 0% | 0.1 | 0.175 | 0.38 | 4 mg/L | |
| Nitrate | 56 | 0% | 0.23 | 0.54 | 1.7 | 10 mg/L | |
| Uranium | 40 | 0% | * | 3 | 25 | 20 ug/L |
* suppressed by the publisher because too few wells were tested.
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What this means
Among homeowners in Jay who sent a sample to the state lab, the health-based limits most often exceeded were arsenic (4% of 52 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 Vermont advisory level of 4,000 pCi/L in 39% of 23 wells. Radon in water matters because it moves into indoor air during showers and laundry.
What to test for in Jay
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)5 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
- Metals panel1 hazardous waste site on record locally.
- Radon39% of 23 local wells tested were above the Vermont advisory level.
- Arsenic4% of 52 local wells tested were above the Vermont limit.
- Gross alpha3% of 31 local wells tested were above the Vermont limit.
- Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- NitrateRecommended for every private well, especially near farms or septic systems.
Wells in Jay
171 domestic wells in Jay are on record with the state since 1996. 99% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 254 feet deep (one in ten goes past 469 feet).
In a typical Jay well, bedrock starts about 20 feet down, the median yield is 12 gallons per minute, 13% 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 Jay
Vermont ANR records 5 leaking underground storage tank sites and 1 hazardous waste site in Jay, among 9 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.
- 5
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 1
- hazardous waste siteSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
- 3
- 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
- Radon
- Aeration (bubble-up or diffused) whole-house; Granular activated carbon whole-house (lower levels only)
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Common questions
How deep are wells in Jay?
The typical domestic well in Jay is 254 feet deep, based on 171 wells reported to the state since 1996. One in ten is deeper than 469 feet. 99% are drilled into bedrock.
How often should I test a private well in Jay?
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
- Vermont Tracking private well summaries: summaries for 6 contaminants in Jay, 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: 181 well records in Jay, 171 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: 9 regulated sites located in Jay. 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.