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Clear water pooling in a granite basin, the bedrock that shapes Maine well water

For Maine private well owners

Your well is your responsibility. The numbers make it manageable.

About half of Maine households drink from a private well, and Maine bedrock carries problems you cannot taste: arsenic, radon, uranium. Nobody inspects a private well for you. This site explains what to test, how to read the result, and what treatment honestly costs, with every claim cited to Maine CDC, USGS, or the state lab.

When you want the work done, tell us your town and a free quote comes back. Test first, treat second.

Start with testing

Get a free quote

Tell us your town and what the water is doing. Free to use, and the referral fee never raises your price. How that works.

Glass of clear well water on a farmhouse table by a window in Maine

Why Maine wells are their own subject

The problems in Maine well water are geological, which means they are local, predictable, and invisible. Three facts set the agenda:

1 in 10

Maine wells exceed the federal arsenic standard statewide per USGS, and hotspot towns run far higher: 29 percent of tested wells in Kennebec County, 62 percent in the town of Manchester. See the arsenic data page.

4,000 pCi/L

Maine's guideline for radon in well water. In the greater Augusta area, 29 percent of tested bedrock wells exceeded it in a peer-reviewed USGS-linked study. Radon in water vents into indoor air. How treatment works.

Every 3 to 5 years

The Maine CDC testing cadence for arsenic, uranium, radon, and fluoride, plus bacteria and nitrates yearly. Most owners are behind. The full checklist.

The order of operations

  1. Test

    A certified lab test, through the state lab in Augusta or an accredited private lab, tells you what is actually in the water. Kits cost less than guessing ever does.

  2. Read the result

    Numbers against Maine guidelines decide everything: which technology, sized how large, at the tap or the whole house. Our results explainer walks each line.

  3. Treat what the test found

    An independent local professional quotes a system matched to the result. The quote is free, and the referral fee never touches your price.

The Maine problems, each with its own page

Buying or selling? The home-purchase guide covers what to test before closing. Regional patterns live on the service area pages, from Portland to Aroostook.

Ready for a real quote?

If you already have a lab report, you are one conversation away from a sized, priced fix.

Go to the quote form

What it costs, and what happens after you send it

What does well water treatment cost in Maine?
There is no single price, because the contaminant decides the system. Across the ranges this site publishes, point-of-use reverse osmosis starts around $150 plus install, the common whole-house systems run roughly $1,500 to $4,000, and radon aeration is the expensive end at $6,000 to $8,000 in this region. Those are installed figures with sources named, not quotes and not our prices, and annual media, filter or lamp costs sit on top. The Maine treatment cost guide prints the full table by system with every source.
How fast will someone get back to me?
Your request goes to an independent local water treatment contractor, usually within about an hour during the day. That contractor then contacts you to look at your water and price the work on their own schedule.
What work is covered?
Well water testing, arsenic treatment, iron and manganese treatment, radon in water, PFAS treatment, UV and bacteria treatment, and whole-house systems. See every service.

Only a contractor standing at your wellhead can price your actual water.

Questions Maine well owners ask

How many Maine homes are on private wells?
About half of Maine households draw drinking water from a private well, one of the highest shares of any state per the Maine Geological Survey. Private wells are unregulated, so testing and treatment are entirely the owner’s responsibility.
What should I test my Maine well for?
Maine CDC recommends testing every year for coliform bacteria and nitrates, and every three to five years for arsenic, uranium, radon, and fluoride. Those four occur naturally in Maine bedrock and have no taste, smell, or color.
Is arsenic really common in Maine wells?
Yes. Roughly one in 10 Maine wells exceeds the federal arsenic standard statewide, and the rate is far higher in hotspots: about three in 10 tested wells in Kennebec County. The only way to know your number is a lab test.
What does this site cost to use?
Nothing. Down East Well Water is free for homeowners. The professional who quotes your job pays a referral fee, and that fee never raises the price you pay. The arrangement is spelled out on the how-we-make-money page.

Updated

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