Well water testing in Falmouth, Maine
If your Falmouth home is on a private well, testing is up to you. Maine doesn't regulate private wells. Below is what the state lab found when 149 Falmouth well owners tested for arsenic, where to drop off a sample, and a free 60-second checkup.
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What the state lab found in Falmouth wells
Uranium: 27.1% of 144 tested wells in Falmouth were above Maine's guideline. That is higher than the Cumberland County rate (19.8%). The middle result was 8.4 µg/L, and 1 in 20 tested wells came in at 160 µg/L or higher. Comes from bedrock, often granite. No taste or smell.
Arsenic: 15.4% of 149 tested wells in Falmouth were above Maine's guideline. That is close to the Cumberland County rate (17.3%). The middle result was 2.9 µg/L, and 1 in 20 tested wells came in at 19 µg/L or higher. Comes from bedrock. You can't taste, smell, or see it.
| Tested for | Wells tested | Above Maine's guideline | Maine's guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uranium | 144 | 27.1% | 30 µg/L |
| Arsenic | 149 | 15.4% | 10 µg/L |
| Manganese | 136 | 4.4% | 0.3 mg/L |
| Chloride | 74 | 4.1% | 250 mg/L |
| Fluoride | 207 | 1% | 2 mg/L |
| Nitrate | 163 | 0% | 10 mg/L |
Wells whose owners chose to test at Maine's state lab (HETL): a voluntary sample, not a prediction about any one well. Neighbors can test very differently. No rate is shown when fewer than 20 wells were tested. Source: Maine Tracking Network (Maine CDC), data updated 5/2023
Not in this data: bacteria and radon in water. Maine does not publish those results by town or county. Maine CDC still recommends testing every well for bacteria every year and for radon every 3 to 5 years.
PFAS in Falmouth
Maine DEP has sampled 57 private wells tied to PFAS investigation sites in Falmouth. Of those, 5 were above 20 parts per trillion for six PFAS combined, the level DEP reports against. DEP chose these wells because they were near sites it was checking, so the results are not a picture of every well in town.
Source: Maine DEP, PFAS private well results by town (preliminary; DEP is still adding results; read November 2026).
What Maine recommends for every well
Maine CDC says to test every private well each year for bacteria and nitrate, and every 3 to 5 years for a full panel that includes arsenic, uranium, radon, and lead. Retest after flooding, well or pump work, or any change in taste, smell, or color. The Cumberland County page has the full schedule and the rules for home sales and rentals.
Area-level information cannot determine what is in a specific household's well. Only a properly collected laboratory sample can tell you what's in your water. This page is educational; see the disclaimer.
Coastal towns: saltwater intrusion (chloride/sodium) can be a consideration for wells near the shore.
Nearest sample drop-off locations to Falmouth
- Plummer's / Ace Hardware — 57 Main St., Gorham, ME · Directions
- Focused Property Inspections — 347 Main St., Unit 2G, Gorham, ME 04038 · Directions
- Chanalytical Laboratories (24-hr drop-box) — 347 Main St., Unit 1B, Gorham, ME 04038 · Directions
- Fontus — 39 Immersion Dr., Suite 3, Scarborough, ME · Directions
- Ward Water / Critical Plumbing — 1150 Pequawket Trail, Steep Falls, ME · Directions
- A-Z Water Systems — 1164 Lewiston Rd., New Gloucester, ME 04260 · Directions
- Mallet Springs Water Company — 361 Bath Rd., Brunswick, ME 04011 · Directions
Bacteria samples must reach the lab within about 30 hours of collection. Confirm timing: (207) 747-1815.
Buying or selling in Falmouth?
FHA loans require a water test for coliform, nitrate, nitrite, and lead; VA and USDA follow the local health authority. Maine sellers must disclose the date of the last water test. The checkup has a transaction mode that walks through it.