Anthony Brino | Star-Herald At Maple Knoll Farm in Solon, they’ve been keeping a close eye on their well as conditions remain dry or abnormally dry over much of Maine this summer.
“We’ve been monitoring it,” farm owner Michelle Schrader said.
“It’s going to affect more people as drought [conditions] for the third summer in a row cover a lot of the state.” According to the United States Drought Monitor, much of northern, coastal and western Maine are experiencing abnormally dry conditions.
Either way, a dug well often goes down around 15 feet or until it is below the groundwater table.
Drilled or dug, Gordon recommends keeping an eye on water levels and pressure as this dry summer continues.
“If you see a change of color, that means your water levels are close to bottom [and] bubbles could indicate low water pressure from low levels.” Gordon recommends people with dug wells conserve water usage during the dry spell and space water usage throughout the day.
“If you are seeing those bubbles in the line, it can recover in a matter of hours,” he said.
“We are always closely monitoring it,” Page said.
“We have never over-used it.” The pond can safely yield 8.3 million gallons of water a day to supply Bangor, Hamden, parts of Clifton and Eddington, and two businesses in Veazie.
“Our water supply levels are set further back from the river than in Presque Isle,” Kirkpatrick said.