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The amount of water that a well needs to produce in gallons per minute (gpm) to provide an adequate supply of water for a single family residential home depends upon how deep the well is and how much water is going to be used by the home in a 24-hour period. The depth of the well is important because the deeper a well is, the more water it has in storage, available for immediate use.

The Maine Ground Water Association has recommended minimum flow rates for single family homes. Their standards are based on a static water level of approximately 25 feet below ground surface. Every foot of a 6” (diameter) well holds approximately 1.5 gallons of water. Recommended minimum flow rates:

75’ well depth – 5 gallons per minute

110’ well depth – 4 gallons per minute

160’ well depth – 3 gallons per minute

250’ well depth – 2 gallons per minute

320’ well depth – 1 gallon per minute

420’ well depth – .5 gallon per minute

If you have staining on your toilet or washing machine, you may have water quality issue. Most drilled water wells in Maine provide safe and delicious drinking water. Only a small percentage contains characteristics such as bacteria, arsenic, nitrate, nitrite, radon, lead, or uranium, which are harmful to your health. If your well water has never been tested, however, consider having it done.

The most harmful contaminants are colorless, odorless and tasteless; a test is the only way to know for sure if they are present. Likewise, if your water has been tested in the past, but you notice a change in its appearance or taste, a retest is advisable. Learn more about water quality and treatment.

Under normal conditions, a residential well takes no longer than two days to drill. At Goodwin Well & Water, we can typically drill a 300′ well in one day and 500′ well in a day and a half.