Lab news · NH · Updated October 16, 2026
New Hampshire well-lab news
Direct answer
Dated notes from NHDES, NH DHHS, and USGS for New Hampshire well owners. NHDES's yearly pair is bacteria, nitrate, and nitrite. The rest of the recommended panel, including arsenic and radon, is every 3 to 5 years. Homeowner testing at the Public Health Laboratories is fee-for-service. Public-system MCLs do not bind a private well. Bacteria or nitrate still goes to NHDES or the local health officer.
| What to test | Why | EPA MCL / SMCL or guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Total coliform | CDC’s annual floor for a private well. A present result is a pathway warning, not a shopping trip. | Present/absent — any detected coliform is a positive until a clean retest CDC well-testing guidelines |
| Nitrate as N | Same yearly panel as coliform. A result at or above the public-system line goes to the health department. | 10 mg/L as N (EPA public-system MCL) EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations |
| Arsenic | Invisible in the glass. Compare a certified-lab µg/L to the public-system MCL. | 0.010 mg/L / 10 µg/L (EPA public-system MCL) EPA Arsenic Rule |
| Radon in water | A water number in pCi/L. EPA’s indoor-air 4 pCi/L is a different test. | No finalized private-well water MCL (1999 proposed public-system rule was never finalized) EPA radon |
Dated notes from EPA, NHDES, NH DHHS, and USGS. Not headlines. Public-system MCLs do not bind a private well.
Dated notes from agency pages, not invented headlines. Public-system MCLs do not bind a private well unless the item is about a private-well statute. Bacteria or nitrate on a lab sheet still goes to the health department. This site is not medical advice.
18 May 2026
FederalEPA proposed keeping the PFOA and PFOS maximum contaminant levels at 4.0 ppt for public water systems, and letting requesting systems take until April 26, 2031 instead of April 26, 2029. The comment period closed July 20, 2026. EPA last updated that page July 23, 2026.
This is a proposal, not a final rule. It does not require a private-well owner to test or treat. Public-system MCLs do not bind a kitchen tap on a private well.
18 May 2026
FederalIn the same window, EPA separately proposed rescinding MCLs for PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA (GenX), and the Hazard Index mixture. That page was live when this note was written and is linked from the extension-rule page.
That action is still a proposal. Do not read it as those limits being gone. A private-well owner is not under that public-system rule either way.
16 October 2026
New HampshireNHDES's private-wells page still states that nearly half of New Hampshire residents get their water from a private well, and that arsenic and radon occur naturally in the rock and soil, along with manganese and coliform bacteria. The April 2026 Water Testing Guidance for Private Well Users still tells owners and home buyers to test. Bacteria, nitrate, and nitrite every year. The remainder of that published list, including arsenic, radon, uranium, and PFAS, every 3 to 5 years. Home buyers should test before purchase if the seller has not already provided a recent test.
That is NHDES guidance for private wells, not a statewide sampling statute at sale. Use an NHELAP-accredited laboratory. If coliform or nitrate fails, take the sheet to NHDES or your local health officer.
NHDES: Water Testing Guidance for Private Well Users (April 2026 PDF)
16 October 2026
New HampshireThe NH Public Health Laboratories Water Analysis Laboratory still provides homeowner private-well testing on a fee-for-service basis. The laboratory is NELAP-accredited for potable-water parameters. It is at 29 Hazen Drive, Concord (603-271-3445). The official Water Testing Guide publishes homeowner package prices. Confirm the current list before you order. NHELAP's live accredited-laboratory database remains the certificate check. The NHDES private-well lab list on the April 2026 guidance PDF was last updated 9/20/2024.
Homeowner testing at the state laboratory is not a free statewide kit. A snapshot PDF is not a live certificate. Confirm drinking-water fields in the NHELAP search. Bacteria or nitrate still goes to NHDES or the local health officer.
NH DHHS: Water Analysis Laboratory Program
16 October 2026
New HampshireNHDES's drinking-water page still states that about half of the state's bedrock wells have radon at levels of concern, and that an estimated 30 percent have arsenic above the 5 ppb limit that is enforceable in public water systems. USGS SIR 2004-5093 reported that 21 percent of domestic bedrock wells exceeded EPA's 10 µg/L public-system arsenic MCL, and that 96 percent had radon greater than EPA's proposed 300 pCi/L public-system line. NHDES has sampled some private wells for PFAS since 2016. A written PFAS sampling request may be selected at no cost; the PFAS page says a request does not guarantee a sample. The PFAS Removal Rebate is a treatment rebate after a qualifying result.
A statewide rate or a 2004 USGS study is not a kitchen-tap result. Order a certified-lab test. Compare µg/L to the public-system comparison line NHDES or EPA printed, not as a private-well statute. Bacteria or nitrate still goes to NHDES or the local health officer.
USGS SIR 2004-5093: Quality of water in the fractured-bedrock aquifer of New Hampshire
Contaminant and parent pages
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See also the New Hampshire lab inventory, certified labs by state, and the homepage.