Arsenic, iron, lead, manganese, and uranium concentrations in private bedrock wells in southeastern New Hampshire, 2012-2013

Abstract

Nearly 3 out of 10 (28 percent) water samples from 232 private bedrock wells tested in southeastern New Hampshire contained trace-metal concentrations that exceed one or more of the following standards: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) maximum contaminant levels in public water supplies of 10 micrograms per liter (g/L) for arsenic and 30 g/L for uranium, the EPA action level of 15 g/L for lead, and the EPA lifetime health advisory level of 300 g/L for manganese.