Friendship Area Families with private drinking water wells tested their water in November 2018. There were only a few bacteria positive results, with no e. coli found, and only a few wells with nitrates in low levels. These results are typical for the Town and can be explained by the clay soils that help filter contaminants out of rain and surface water before it gets to the depth of the wells.

Also due to the geology of the region, 93% of the wells tested found some level of arsenic in them. This is a naturally occurring mineral that exists in certain layers of bedrock and can cause health complications if ingested at high levels over many years. If arsenic was detected in your well, we recommend that you sample again for it in 2-3 years. (More about arsenic).

The full results presentation (PDF) is available for download and printing.