Well water in Northfield, Vermont
In Northfield, none of 141 private wells tested had nitrate above the Vermont limit (10 mg/L), according to the Vermont Department of Health.
141 private wells tested in state summaries; 3 individual samples from 1 wells, 1971. Data refreshed September 3, 2026.
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 | 22 | 5% | 1,420 | 3569 | 7,590 | 4,000 pCi/L | |
| Nitrate | 141 | 0% | 0.25 | 1.6 | 8.4 | 10 mg/L | |
| Fluoride | 127 | 0% | 0.05 | 0.15 | 0.94 | 4 mg/L | |
| Arsenic | 116 | 0% | * | 2 | 4 | 10 ug/L | |
| Uranium | 106 | 0% | * | 7 | 11 | 20 ug/L | |
| Gross alpha Gross Alpha | 74 | 0% | 1.2 | 6.6 | 10.4 | 15 pCi/L |
* suppressed by the publisher because too few wells were tested.
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What this means
Among homeowners in Northfield who sent a sample to the state lab, no health-based limit was exceeded often enough to publish a share. That is good news, but a single well can still be the exception.
Radon was above the Vermont advisory level of 4,000 pCi/L in 5% of 22 wells. Radon in water matters because it moves into indoor air during showers and laundry.
What to test for in Northfield
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)19 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
- Metals panel15 hazardous waste sites on record locally.
- Radon5% of 22 local wells tested were above the Vermont advisory level.
- Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- FluorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
- ManganeseDetected in 100% of local samples.
- IronDetected in 100% of local samples.
- ChlorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
- NitrateRecommended for every private well, especially near farms or septic systems.
Wells in Northfield
270 domestic wells in Northfield are on record with the state since 1996. 100% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 244 feet deep (one in ten goes past 445 feet).
In a typical Northfield well, bedrock starts about 10 feet down, the median yield is 10 gallons per minute, 14% 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 Northfield
Vermont ANR records 19 leaking underground storage tank sites, 15 hazardous waste sites, and 1 reported spill or release in Northfield, among 52 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.
- 19
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 15
- 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.
- 17
- 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
- Fluoride
- Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Activated alumina; Distillation
- Manganese
- Oxidizing filter (greensand, birm) whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Point-of-use reverse osmosis
- Iron
- Oxidizing filter whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Aeration plus filtration
- Chloride
- Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Distillation
Book a free water test in Northfield
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Common questions
How deep are wells in Northfield?
The typical domestic well in Northfield is 244 feet deep, based on 270 wells reported to the state since 1996. One in ten is deeper than 445 feet. 100% are drilled into bedrock.
How often should I test a private well in Northfield?
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: 18 samples in Northfield. 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 6 contaminants in Northfield, up to 141 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: 272 well records in Northfield, 270 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: 52 regulated sites located in Northfield. 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.